


Meet Me by the Sea

by Fangirl_on_fire



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Altean lance, Alternate Canon, Angst, Coming Out, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Falling In Love, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Forbidden Love, Healthy Relationships, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, human keith, mermaid au, mermaid lance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-06-09 23:46:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 106,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15278886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fangirl_on_fire/pseuds/Fangirl_on_fire
Summary: In Altea, there are three major rules.1 – Don’t fall in love with members of the same sex.2 – Don’t fall in love with humans.3 – Don’t rise up against the Altean Empire to gain independence while fighting another uprising empire at the same time.Somehow, Keith and Lance manage to break all three rules.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have this fic completely written and edited, so I will be updating pretty regularly; I will most likely update every other day! More tags will be added as the story progresses.
> 
> Note: Well, this is an embarrassing situation, but I wrote this fic before Shiro was confirmed as gay, so I'm sorry for the Shallura! :( I guess in the universe this fic is set in, you can interpret Shiro's sexuality however you want! (though he is obviously gay in canon).

_Cold._

_Cold, chilling to the bone. Water, all around. A dark wall of blackness. Absorbing all light._

_A spark of light, down by the seabed. A glow, glowing under a patch of swirling seagrass. Seagrass like fingers, reaching out. Searching._

_Searching._

_Searching._

_Searching._

Keith woke up with a shudder. His forehead was shining with sweat but his body was cold, and he drew the blankets closer around him. A quick glance out of the window proved the sky was still dark outside. It had been the dream that woke him up. More accurately, the nightmare. There was something haunting about being at the bottom of the sea, too deep to see the surface, too deep to see anything but the crushing blackness of the surrounding water.

He clutched the blankets tighter and tried to regulate his breathing. His breaths were coming in short pants, and the darkness of the room reminded him too much of the dream. He closed his eyes and imagined that he was in a forest somewhere, with plenty of open space and greenery surrounding him. Birds singing their sweet songs, and a river flowing past merrily.

The water.

Keith’s eyes flew open. This wasn’t working. His mind kept bringing him back to the sea. Without thinking, he got out of bed and walked to the window. He pushed the window open and leaned out, breathing in the fresh night air. Moonlight drenched the landscape, which consisted of the villas close to his, and the sea. The sea.

For the first time, he found himself wishing he didn’t live on the coast. The sea was barely fifty meters away, and he could see the waves rolling on the shore, their white tips visible in the dark night. Though the sea was calm tonight, he felt uneasy. There was something menacing about it. _The calm before the storm._

Something was pulling him towards the water, quiet and mysterious. Without thinking, Keith walked out of the room and out of the house, walking towards the water. The sand was cold and smooth against his bare feet, like marble. He walked until he was at the line where the water touched the sand. The sand here was wet and even colder.

A frigid wind was blowing around him and he shivered. But his mind was only on the sea. A deep longing had settled inside him, and for a blinding instant he wanted to jump in the sea and see where the waves would take him.

He blinked and shook his head. Was he going crazy? Going in the freezing, dangerous water should be the last thing on his mind.

_A voice in the distance._

Keith jolted. Was it only his imagination, or was there a voice somewhere in the distance?

A beautiful voice, high and eerie. Singing. The voice was silvery and flowing, flowing like the waves from whence it came. All the thoughts flew out of Keith’s mind, leaving nothing in his mind but the sound of that beautiful voice. The song was almost a croon, a lullaby sung to a fretting child.

He couldn’t understand the words, but it didn’t matter, because all that mattered was that voice. He had to go to it. He had to go to that beautiful, beautiful voice that was calling him. Pulling him closer.

Enchanting melodies were still drifting through the chilly air and the rolling waves were captivating. Hypnotic. Moonlight still flowed over the surface of the sea, pale and silver, even as the moon hid herself behind a curtain of gray, wispy clouds.

In a trance, Keith stepped closer. His feet were now in the water and though he was freezing he didn’t care. He needed to get closer to that voice. That song.

He moved even closer. His ankles were in the water. His knees. His thighs.

And he dropped like a stone, the water washing over him like flames, cold enough that it almost felt hot. Yet his body still jerked forward until he was completely underwater.

His eyes were closed but water rushed in his open mouth, causing him to sputter and open his eyes. Seawater rushed in his eyes, stinging and painful. He looked around wildly, disoriented. He was underwater but he couldn’t see the surface. _The dream._

He couldn’t die like this.

As his lungs began burning from the seawater rushing into them, he made a last effort and launched himself in a direction he hoped was upwards.

His head broke the surface of the water and he spit out the water, gasping and choking. He spun around, trying to spot the shore. He couldn’t see the shoreline. He was out in the middle of the sea in the middle of the night. Alone.

He tried to yell for help but his throat was on fire and he couldn’t form the words. “Help,” he managed to gasp, but it was nowhere near loud enough. “Help.”

He wanted to swim, but his arms refused to move beyond a pathetic paddle. He was treading water but he was rapidly running out of energy. And the voice wasn’t in his ears anymore. The loss of the music struck him like a knife to the heart and suddenly he didn’t want to keep treading water anymore. If the voice wasn’t there anymore, what was the point?

Closing his eyes, he let himself go. He was sinking down, down to the bottom of the sea.

Then he wasn’t sinking anymore. His eyes shot open and he thought he saw a figure in front of him. But his eyes shut again, and he was free.

-

“Keith. Keith!” A horrified voice was yelling in his ears. Keith murmured in discomfort. “Are you awake?”

Then his cheek was stinging, and his eyes opened. “What the fuck?”

It was Shiro, a look of pure relief on his face. “You’re alright.”

“Did you just slap me?” Keith asked, incredulous.

Shiro’s face were red with anger. “Why would you come out here in the middle of the night? You know how dangerous the riptide is.”

Keith coughed and tried to sit up. However, he didn’t have enough energy to, and his throat was still hurting. “Riptide?”

“Yes, riptide.” Shiro was shouting again. “You know this is one of the most accident-prone spots on the coast. What the hell were you doing swimming in the middle of the night?”

“I wasn’t swimming,” Keith protested.

“Your clothes are drenched,” Shiro said, “And your hair is soaked. _You’re_ soaked.”

Keith rubbed his eyes, which were also still stinging. The sun was now shining overhead. It must be morning. “I had a nightmare. Then I started hearing a voice, and… the voice, it was so beautiful. It was pulling me towards it.”

Shiro paled. “A voice?”                                                              

Keith nodded and tried to pull himself upright again. Shiro leaned forward to help Keith to his feet and Keith threw his arm over Shiro’s shoulders as they stumbled back to the house. When they arrived back at the house, Shiro dropped Keith on the sofa and sat beside him.

“A voice,” Keith repeated, “Shiro, you should have heard it. It was the most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard.”

One of the walls in the living room was entirely made out of glass, facing the sea. Shiro glanced nervously at it. “And you said it was pulling you to it?”

Keith nodded, a dreamy haze settling on his mind as the memory of the voice came to him. “Yes. It was pulling me.”

Shiro froze, a strange look passing over his face. “Pulling you?”

“Yeah, pulling me.” Keith was getting impatient. “Are you just going to repeat everything I say?”

“Keith, this is bad. This is very bad.”

“Why?”

“Never mind,” Shiro said abruptly, standing up. “Stay here. Don’t leave the house.” He strode towards the front door.

“Where are you going?” Keith called, but Shiro had already left.

What was it that Shiro had gotten himself so worked up over? The events that had passed during the previous night seemed a fever dream to Keith, and he assumed that he must have been imagining the voice. Yes, that was it. He had imagined the voice, and he only went into the water because… because why? What explanation could there be for the strange longing he had felt the previous night?

Keith stood up and walked over to the glass wall, gazing at the sea, which was now peaceful. The sky was a light blue and the sea was only a shade darker. Though the rest of the beaches around the area were always full at this time of day, this section of the beach never had any visitors. In fact, Keith was pretty sure that the villas beside his and Shiro’s were all empty. This spot was known for all the… incidents, that took place there. Every week, there seemed to be a new report of a drowning.

Shiro and Keith had been thinking of moving somewhere else for a long time but the price of this villa was incredibly cheap, probably because no one else would think of buying it. Not only that, but the villa was large and spacious, with four bedrooms and several bathrooms. It also had a fair-sized garden and a small pool, and a garage for Shiro’s car. Mostly, it was their friends that used the pool, because Shiro always preferred swimming in the sea and Keith had an aversion to water.

He didn’t know why, but water had always repelled him. Shiro often said that even when Keith was little, he didn’t like swimming. Keith generally preferred activities like hiking and cycling over swimming, and he wasn’t a brilliant swimmer anyway.

The thought of the water brought his thoughts back to the previous night. What had happened?

Just then, his phone started ringing. He crossed the room and answered the call.

It was Allura. “Hey. Shiro told me about what happened last night. Are you okay?” She sounded concerned.

“I’m alright,” Keith assured her, “Just… confused.”  

“I told you that- no, never mind!” She cut herself off.

“What is it?”

“Oh, ignore that,” she said quickly, coughing a little. “By the way, I’m inviting you and Shiro over for dinner tomorrow night. Will you be free?”

“Yeah,” Keith said, “What were you saying?”

“Never mind,” she insisted, “I’ll see you then. Shiro’s with us right now. He told me to tell you that you should not open any windows under any circumstance.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Keith said. “Good talking to you. See you.”

She hung up first, and Keith placed his phone back on the table. This whole affair was getting more mysterious by the second. First, Shiro leaves the house without an explanation and goes to Allura’s, and now she was refusing to tell him what was going on.

Keith sighed, resigning himself to being kept in the dark, and leaned over to pick up _War and Peace,_ a book Shiro had been coaxing him to read for a long time.

The book was interesting enough to keep him entertained until night fell and Shiro returned.

Shiro’s face was scrunched in a frown, and his eyebrows were furrowed. When he saw Keith sitting in the living room, he quickly smoothed out his face. “What are you reading?”

Keith held up the book to show Shiro and put the book on the table, leaving it open so he could continue reading later. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing’s going on,” Shiro said. “Don’t worry about it. Go to bed now, it’s late.”

“It’s only 10,” Keith protested.

Shiro placed his hand on Keith’s shoulder and looked into his eyes. “Keith. I’ll explain later.”

“Is this about that therapist again?” Keith said, his voice rising. “Because I told you there’s nothing wrong with me!”

“No,” Shiro exclaimed. “No, not that!”

Keith scowled and shook Shiro’s hand off his shoulder, standing up and stomping past him. “That’s it. I knew it. You think I’m going crazy- don’t try to deny it!” Keith went in his room and slammed the door shut. The window was still open, so he shut it and climbed into bed. So, that was it. Shiro thought he was crazy. That’s what all this secrecy was about. Shiro thought he was crazy and was trying to find him a therapist. That must be it.

Though Keith was now riled up, he tried to calm himself down so he could go to sleep. Tomorrow, he was planning on meeting up with Matt and Pidge and, in the evening, he would be going over to Allura’s place. He would need his energy.

He closed his eyes.

_Waves galloped along the shoreline like white horses, foaming and frothing. The sound was tremendous, crashing, rolling, when suddenly the sound ceased, and he was at the bottom of the sea again._

_There was no light and he could see dark shapes surrounding him. Were they rocks, or something… living?_

_But there could be no life down here._

_Could there?_

_The water pressure was weighing on him, threatening to crush him. With each passing second, the water got heavier and heavier. He tried to swim upwards but it kept pushing him down._

_This is how he dies._

_But a figure was now swimming towards him. Just as they were nearly close enough for him to see their face, a loud piercing screech sounded, and they disappeared._

“Keith!”

Keith’s eyes flew open, and he was in the middle of the sea again.

This time, he was close enough that he could see the shore in the distance where a figure was standing, waving their arms around wildly.

“Shiro,” Keith called, kicking his legs in a desperate attempt to stay afloat.

“Keith! Are you going to swim here or will we keep calling each other’s names all day?” Shiro yelled back at him. “What the hell are you doing?”

“I was asleep!” Keith yelled, swimming closer as fast as he could. Though he thought of himself as a bad swimmer, he was actually good at swimming. He just chose not to do it.

“What kind of sleeping is this?” Shiro shouted just as Keith stumbled on the shore. He ran towards Keith and threw his arms around him, hugging him tightly. “God, I was so scared. I thought you’d drowned.”

“I wouldn’t drown. I can take care of myself.”

“Clearly not.” Shiro frowned, holding Keith at arms-length to get a good look at him. “Maybe I should lock your bedroom door.”

“I’m so cold, Shiro,” Keith said. Shiro’s face softened and he wrapped his arms around Keith again, rubbing his back.

“Come on, let’s get you inside.” His arms still around Keith, Shiro lead him inside. “Wait here, I’ll get you some clothes.”

Keith waited obediently, shivering, while Shiro brought him a pair of pajamas and a fluffy towel. Keith went to the bathroom and dried himself off, taking off his wet clothes and replacing them with the warm pajamas. He pulled on the socks Shiro had also brought and went back in the living room. Shiro was sitting on the sofa and Keith curled up beside him. “Thanks, Shiro.”

Shiro smiled at him and put his arm around Keith’s shoulders. “Of course, buddy. I gotta take care of my baby brother.”

“I’m not a baby,” Keith said grumpily, and Shiro laughed. “I’m eighteen.” He had turned eighteen last month.

“I was kidding.”

Deciding to change the subject, Keith said, “I’m going out with Matt and Pidge tomorrow.”

“That’s good. I know you haven’t seen Pidge in a while.”

“Well, she has school.” They used to go to the same school until Keith had been kicked out because of ‘disciplinary issues’.

“I know,” Shiro said. A tension had settled between them. “Well, I’d better go to bed. It’s still midnight, you know.”

Keith went back to his room and crawled under the blankets. It had been so cold outside but he was warm now, and he fell asleep quickly.

-

The next morning was bright and sunny and the air was humid, a rare occurrence at this time of year. It was too hot, even, and Keith was careful to park the car in a shady spot so it didn’t turn into an oven.

Keith had left the house early to meet up with Matt and Pidge at the café they had planned as their rendezvous point. When Matt spotted him, he ran over to give Keith an earnest hug. Pidge offered Keith a casual smile. They sat down at a nearby table and ordered coffees for themselves. It was a little awkward, considering Keith hadn’t seen Matt nor Pidge in over three months.

“So, how is everything?” he asked.

Pidge snorted. “Seriously?”

“Hey, it’s not like you were saying anything.”  

Though Keith knew he only saw Matt and Pidge rarely and he should make the most of it, he couldn’t think of anything to say. They didn’t have that much in common anymore, aside from their shared interest in space. Well, it wouldn’t be correct to say they didn’t have much in common, because Keith had known Matt and Pidge for as long as he could remember, but he supposed that was another reason he couldn’t start a real conversation with them now. Everything was changing so fast and it was difficult to keep up with it. Not to mention that since Keith dropped out of school, there was an increased tension between them; Matt and Pidge always seemed to speak more carefully around Keith, as if they were being careful not to mention it around him.

“Well, this year, it turns out I’m skipping a grade,” Pidge said, drawing Keith out of his thoughts. “Because all my teachers think that I’m at a higher level.”

“Pidge, that’s great!” Keith filled with pride for his best friend. “Congratulations!”

Pidge smiled modestly. For years, she had always spoken about how she thought the schoolwork was too easy for her, and Keith was glad she would have a chance to be challenged now. “Thanks. I’ve been working really hard for a while.”

“She really has,” Matt added, “Twenty-four seven, she’s on some sort of device and I once asked her if she was messaging her boyfriend or something, but it turned out she was studying again.”

“I’m ace, what were you expecting?” Pidge said. She had come out as asexual aromantic the previous year.

“I ask everyone if they have a boyfriend,” Matt retorted.

“Mm, true,” Pidge conceded. “Speaking of which,” – she turned her gaze to Keith – “Any romantic luck?”

Keith shrugged. “Nope. I don’t socialize much.”

“Yeah.” Pidge nodded. “I get what you mean. Anyway, Shiro told us about the whole sleep swimming thing. I thought you hated swimming.”

Keith groaned. “Did he tell everyone? It was just once- well, twice.”

Both Matt and Pidge raised their eyebrows. It was probably a family thing.

Matt interjected before Pidge could speak. “So, you swim out to the middle of the sea while asleep?”

Keith narrowed his eyes. “I don’t control it.”  

“Relax, Keith. No one said you did,” Pidge said. Keith huffed. “Wow, you’re still the same Keith I remember.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“No, no! You’re still my best friend right now, even if we don’t see each other that often. You’re awesome, okay? Don’t feel bad.”

“You assume I’m going to feel bad.”

“Well, that’s how you usually react,” Pidge said, matter-of-fact.

Keith smiled without humor. He wasn’t sure how he felt about being known as the person who overreacts to everything. “Not this time.”

Matt blinked in surprise. “Woah, man. Never smile like that again. You look like a shark.”

Keith rolled his eyes. He thought that he was smiling normally, but clearly not. “Don’t smile. Got it.” There was a moment of silence, and then they all burst out laughing.

“I really missed you, buddy,” Pidge said. “We need to see each other more. Are you coming over to Allura’s house tonight?”

“Yeah. I’m guessing you are as well.”

“Try not to drown yourself in her pool,” Pidge joked. 

“It was only two times!” Keith insisted as both the Holt siblings began laughing.

-

Allura lived in a penthouse near the center of the city with her uncle, Coran, and her pet mice. It was a luxurious apartment, and her balcony had a spectacular view of the city. The balcony was rather large, even for a penthouse, and it was large enough to house a set of cream and turquoise sofas and a wooden coffee table.

From his position, Keith could see the setting sun, glowing red in the sky. The sky was a thousand shades of swirling colors, and wispy clouds were scattered across the dusky sky.

“It’s gorgeous, right?” Allura said.

“Not as gorgeous as you, my princess,” Matt put in quickly, holding his hand out dramatically. Their group had taken to calling Allura ‘princess’ since the day they had met her; Keith didn’t know where the nickname originated, but it suited her well.

Allura ignored Matt. Matt was constantly flirting with her, and no one was sure if he meant it seriously or as a joke. “Was the dinner alright?”

“Definitely!” Pidge said enthusiastically. “I don’t think I’ve ever eaten that much.”

“You truly did a wonderful job,” Shiro assured her.

“Thanks, Shiro.” Allura smiled at him warmly, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “And Pidge, of course.”

“Allura, where has your team been researching recently?” Keith asked. Allura was a marine biologist and she led a team of researchers who were constantly searching for new discoveries.

Allura hesitated. “Well, actually, we’ve been investigating that beach where you live.”

It didn’t come as a surprise to Keith, considering how many people had drowned at that beach. Many people suspected that there was an undiscovered species living in those waters, but some people believed in something more supernatural.

Shiro stiffened, but Allura continued speaking. “We think we’re detecting some form of life.”

“No shit, sherlock,” Pidge muttered. “The sea is full of it.”

“No, I mean something that’s not registered in our database,” Allura said. “And we can’t tell what it is.”

Keith leaned forward. This was interesting. “Really?”

Allura nodded. “Yes. But each time we get close to finding out, our equipment stops working.”

“There must be some sort of atmospheric interference,” Pidge mused. “But why? That place isn’t different from any other coasts.”

Now it was Keith’s turn to hesitate. The memory of the voice had floated back into his mind. “You don’t think…”

Allura glanced at Shiro, who gave her a meaningful look. “What?”

“You don’t think there could be…” Keith trailed off, gesturing with his hands. “Something… you know? I mean, some new form of life.”

“Ha, I knew it!” Matt exclaimed, leaping to his feet and making Pidge start. “Keith’s a fucking conspiracy theorist!”

“I’m not. I just think there might be something there that we don’t know about.”

Matt nearly fell off his chair with laughter while Pidge snickered. “I bet you believe in bigfoot. I can imagine you in a desert shack somewhere, connecting pins on a corkboard with string or some shit like that.”

Keith crossed his arms. “I’m not a conspiracy theorist.”

Allura looked thoughtful. “We’re still investigating around there. You’d better keep some distance, Keith. We already know there are a lot of accidents but with the atmospheric interference, there’s definitely something suspicious.”

“Not you, too!” Matt groaned. “Don’t tell me you also believe in cryptids?”

Allura looked at him reproachfully. “I believe everything until it is disproved.”

“Come on, princess,” Shiro put in. “You can’t be serious.”

“I assure you, I am.” Allura stood up. “Does anyone want drinks?”

Suddenly, Keith was struck with an urge to go back home and see if he heard the voice again. However, he couldn’t get up and leave; not only would it be rude, Shiro would be suspicious and would never let Keith near the sea. Then, he had an idea.

“Shiro, I feel kind of sick,” Keith said, and Allura paused to look at him worriedly.

“What’s wrong?”

“I feel tired and dizzy and my head really hurts,” Keith said. He didn’t actually feel sick but he was hoping Shiro would take him home. Though he loved spending time with Allura, Coran, Matt and Pidge, he needed some time alone to ponder the incidents that had happened the previous nights. And the voice.

“Maybe you should go home and rest,” Shiro suggested, his eyebrows furrowed. He looked over at Allura. “I’ll drop Keith home and then I’ll come back, alright?”

Allura nodded, turning back to Keith and looking concerned. “Are you alright?”

“I think I need some rest.” Keith lowered his voice a little, trying to make himself sound sick, and put his hand to his head.

Half an hour later, Keith was alone in his house. As soon as he was sure that Shiro had left the driveway and wouldn’t see him, Keith pulled on his favorite red jacket and left the house. The air hit him in a cold blast.

Rubbing his hands together to keep warm, he walked down to the edge of the water.

The ocean was a black mirror, without a single wave to disrupt the stillness. It was an abnormally still night and there was no wind. The sky was splattered with stars, glittering and sparkling in the darkness. But none of the stars were reflected in the sea. The sea was a void, absorbing all light. _Destroying all light._

Keith rubbed his eyes. This was a bad idea. Why did he come out here, anyway?

Then, he saw a light glowing in the horizon.

Keith lowered his hands, suddenly alert. Was there someone else here?

Though he knew it was a terrible idea, he had to go see what the light was. As far as he could see, the light was coming from the island a short distance off the shore. Keith had never gone there, as it was surrounded by sharp, jagged rocks. He pulled off his boots and took a deep breath. Then, he entered the water. The noise of the splashing water was deafening in the silent night as he swam towards the island. As the water became too deep for his feet to touch the ground, he began to regret his decision. His clothes were dragging him down and he was chilled to the bone. But he had already come this far.

The water was too dark for him to see what was lurking in the murky depths and Keith was struck with a sudden fear of what was looming ahead of him. What had he gotten himself into?

A sound filled his ears, entering his being. It was the voice. That beautiful, ethereal voice. It was so sweet, calling to him.

There was a laugh, and then a murmur. _You’re a pretty one, aren’t you?_

Keith had to go towards the voice, the voice that was now speaking to him in dulcet, heavenly tones. As he drew closer, the waves grew increasingly powerful, more aggressive as if they were intentionally trying to drown him. And the rocks were approaching. The waves crashed against them, howling with the wind now starting up. Death traps. But he didn’t care. He had to get closer.

All of a sudden, a piercing screech sounded through the air, then a scream, then… silence. Keith snapped out of his trance and realized that he was about to be smashed against the rocks.

“Help,” he shouted, flailing around desperately, but the current was too strong and he knew it was no use. He couldn’t get away. “Help!”

The wind was wailing, loud enough that no one would ever hear Keith’s screams. He was going to die. No one would ever find him, except if they found his body impaled on the rocks in the morning. Surrounding him was only blackness, and it seemed as if light didn’t exist at all. The waves were still tossing Keith around like a rag doll and then the strongest wave so far hit him, sending him underwater. Water pushed its way into Keith’s mouth and his lungs were filling with it.

He gurgled helplessly, still trying to swim away, but the pain was overwhelming and he didn’t want to survive anymore if surviving was this painful.

Keith closed his eyes.

So, this was it.

Slowly, the darkness overcame him, and his mind went black.

-

Warmth.

Light.

A soft touch.

A hand on his cheek.

Keith’s eyelids flickered open.

Someone was leaning over him, an anxious look on their face. It was a boy. His hair was falling into his eyes and he swept it away quickly before leaning closer. Keith had never thought the word ‘beautiful’ could be used to describe boys before, but this boy was beautiful. His face was delicate and his lips were a pale pink, matching the faint pinkness of his cheeks. His eyes were indescribable.

They were dark blue, but with none of the malice the ocean had held. They were the blue of a bubbling waterfall, cascading into a crystal pond hidden in the countryside. The corners of his eyes were dotted with small green stars and there were turquoise markings on his cheekbones. His ears were pointed. 

Finally, the boy spoke, and Keith thought he might faint. “Are you… staring at me?”

Keith kept staring at him, his lips unable to form words.

The boy sighed. “Typical. The first human I see in ages, and he’s mute. And he has a mullet, which is even worse.”

Keith found his voice. He frowned. “Hey!”

The boy blinked in surprise. “Did you just speak?”

“There’s nothing wrong with my mullet!”

The boy smiled and Keith instantly forgot about all the other things he had called beautiful before him. He looked like an angel – an adorable, playful angel that Keith couldn’t tear his gaze away from.

“I saved your life, you know. You should be on your knees thanking me.”

“I’m lying down,” Keith said. “And you’re practically on top of me.”

“True.” The boy moved to let Keith sit up.

That was when Keith saw. Instead of legs, the boy had a long tail made up of millions of shimmering scales that glimmered whenever he moved. The scales were all varying shades of blue, fading into each other so he couldn’t see where one color turned into another. “You’re… you’re…”

The boy smiled again. Rather than amused, this smile was tired. “Cat got your tongue?”

“I told Matt cryptids existed!” was all Keith could think of to say.

The boy looked offended. “I’m not a cryptid, I’m a mermaid. Merman, technically, but mermaid sounds better.” As an afterthought, the boy cheerfully added, “And I just saved your life. Do I get any thanks?”

“Thanks,” Keith said. He was sitting out of the reach of the waves and the boy was looking vaguely uncomfortable. The boy was sitting beside him on the land so only the tip of his tail was in the water. “Should you be out of water?”

The boy’s cheeks pinkened. “I shouldn’t, but I wanted to make sure you were alright.”

“Oh.” Keith blushed too. “Thanks.”

“You had a pretty nasty run in with the Galra,” the boy said. “How are you feeling?”

“What are Galra?”

The boy hesitated. “I’m not supposed to tell you that. Oh, fuck. I shouldn’t have mentioned it at all.”

Keith snorted. “I didn’t know mermaids swore.”

The boy grinned. “Trust me, you haven’t seen anything yet.” As he was about to say something else, he burst into a coughing fit. “Sorry, I just-” he coughed again, his skin turning pale. “Give me a minute.” With a leap of his tail, he dove back into the water. As far as Keith could tell, they were in a hidden cove somewhere, and the water was deep enough for the boy to dive in without walking in first.

He didn’t emerge for a few minutes, then his head broke the surface of the water. Already he looked better; his cheeks had more color and his eyes were sparkling with new life. He swam towards Keith again and, with a huff, hoisted himself onto the white sands of the beach. He pulled himself towards Keith with his arms and settled beside Keith, his head right next to Keith’s thigh.

“Woah. That’s exhausting.” The boy groaned. 

“You should get back in the water,” Keith said hurriedly, “if being out of it is hurting you.”

“And lose the chance of talking to the one hot guy I’ve seen in years? Not a chance,” the boy said, still breathing heavily. Then, he propped himself up on one arm, facing Keith. “What’s your name, mullet?”

“It’s definitely not mullet.”

The boy rolled his eyes. “I gathered that.”

Keith looked at him dubiously. “Is there some sort of mermaid magic you can curse me with if I give you my name?”

“Not unless you want me to,” the boy joked. At least, Keith assumed he was joking.

“It’s Keith,” he said finally.

The boy hummed, an intrigued expression on his face. “I’m Lance.”

“Lance doesn’t sound like a very mermaidy name.”

The boy - Lance - crossed his arms, frowning. “What would you think a mermaidy name is?”

“I don’t know. Poseidon?”

Lance laughed. “That’s a really old name. Not a lot of people use it anymore. The human equivalent would be… Percival, I think. I wasn’t really paying attention in class when they taught us.”

Keith tilted his head. “They teach you about us?”

“Well, the school I went to offers this course called Study of Worlds and I took it, but to be honest I found it kind of boring.”

“Mermaids go to school?”

Lance gave Keith a disbelieving look. “Duh. How else would we learn? You and I, we’re not that different. I mean, we are, but you get what I mean. For example, I would never have such a god-awful hairstyle.”

Keith ignored the dig at his hair. “Why aren’t you at school now?”

“We graduate when we’re sixteen,” Lance said. “And I’m seventeen, so I’ve already graduated. Humans graduate at eighteen, right?”

“I’m older than you,” Keith commented. A flash of triumph shot through him, though it wasn’t anything to be proud of.

“How old are you?”

“Eighteen.”

Lance huffed. “Only by a year.”

It occurred to Keith that he had no idea where they were. Considering it must be around midday, Shiro must be sick with worry. Not to mention he didn’t know how many days he had been out for. “Where are we?”

Lance looked around, then looked back at Keith with a slightly abashed look. “I don’t actually know.”

 “…Are you joking?”

“In my defense, I was focused on saving your life,” Lance said quickly, putting his hands up in a gesture of surrender. “I wasn’t looking where we were going!”

Keith groaned. Shiro was going to murder him. “My brother is going to murder me.”

Lance perked up, interested. “You have a brother?”

“Well, technically I was adopted by his family so we’re not related by blood, but yeah, he’s my brother.”

“Cool!”

“And he’s going to murder me,” Keith complained, going back to his original train of thought. “He is not going to believe me if I tell him I got kidnapped by a mermaid.”

Lance cleared his throat. “Yeah, about that. I’m going to have to wipe your memory.”

“What?!” 

Lance looked sorrowful, the corners of his lips turning down and the sparkle in his eyes dulling. “Sorry, but I’ll get into huge trouble if I don’t. It’s illegal to let humans see you, and talking with them… this never should have happened.”

Keith couldn’t believe this. First, a mermaid kidnapped him, and now he was being told that the said mermaid was going to wipe his memory. “I don’t want my memory wiped.”

Lance shook his head. “I’m sorry. It won’t be painful.”

“I don’t want my memory wiped!”

Lance sat up and put his hand on Keith’s shoulder. His eyes were filled with sympathy and pain. “I have to. I’ll get into huge trouble if I don’t.”

“What if no one finds out?”

Lance shook his head again. “It’s still against the law. I could get arrested and locked up for years. Humans aren’t supposed to find out about us.”

“But that’s so cliché!”

“I didn’t come up with it. Please, don’t make this harder for me.”

Keith scoffed. “I doubt it’s hard for you at all.”

A flash of anger passed across Lance’s calm eyes. “Do you know what it’s like being me? I barely have any friends, all my teachers hate me, I live a fucking ocean away from my family and I never get to meet new people. You’re the first person I’ve met in a long time that actually wants to talk to me, and I have to wipe your memory. It’s pretty fucking hard for me.”

Keith exhaled. “You’re right. I’m sorry. It’s just- I never get to talk to anyone new either. I dropped out of college.”

Lance’s face softened. “I’m sorry, Keith. I really did like meeting you. Even if you have the worst hair I’ve ever seen.”

Keith swallowed hard. “Same here. Even though you insulted my hair.”

Lance managed a watery smile. “Close your eyes, then.”

“Do I have to?”

“Why do you want to keep them open?”

“I just want to look at you as much as possible,” Keith said. Carefully, he reached out and touched Lance’s cheek, right on the turquoise markings. His skin was soft and smooth. Keith wanted to touch the rest of Lance’s skin and see if it would be as smooth, but that would be too creepy. But the idea was entrancing. Lance’s body was lean and slender, without any sharp angles, and though he didn’t have abs like most men aimed for his body was still fairly muscular. Every single thing about him was gorgeous and Keith wondered if he had dreamt this whole encounter.

Lance made a frustrated sound and slammed his hands on the sand, sending sand grains flying up all around them. “You absolute _idiot_ , with your stupid hair and your stupid pretty eyes – I can’t do it. I can’t do it! Promise me you won’t tell anyone we met.”

Keith nodded quickly. “I promise.”

Lance glanced back at the sea. “I have to go now.” After a moment of hesitation, he leaned in and kissed Keith on the cheek. “Bye, mullet.”

Keith just stared as Lance disappeared beneath the sparkling surface of the sea.

It took him a few minutes to realize that he was stranded, alone, in the middle of the sea.

_Fuck._

-

Keith figured out how he was supposed to get back to his house.

The island he was stranded on wasn’t a large one and was mostly covered by a number of tall mountains. The cove he was left in was sheltered by the mountains and it opened up to the sea, so he would have to get back to his house by swimming. Though he didn’t know exactly where his house was, it couldn’t be too far. Could it?

“This is too much swimming for a lifetime,” Keith said aloud to himself as he launched himself in the water and began swimming out of the cove. His clothes were weighing him down but he struggled on, forcing his arms to cut through the water again and again.

Though he was already tired, he kept swimming. He swam until his head was spinning and his arms were aching, but he still kept swimming because there was nothing in front of him except for the endless expanse of ocean. The island he had been on was now out of sight, and he was beginning to lose all hope of survival. He must have been swimming for at least an hour and yet he wasn’t getting any closer to land. Soon, he would pass out from exhaustion, and then he would drown.

Lance had saved him before, but he knew Lance wouldn’t be here this time. The thought of never seeing Lance again sent a bitter pang through his heart and he didn’t know if it was because Lance had some sort of mermaid charm, or because Lance was the first person in a long time who had spoken to Keith as if he was someone special.

After what seemed like an eternity had passed, Keith spotted land in the horizon. He had been swimming for hours and he was fatigued, his muscles screaming in protest. He didn’t know if he could make it to land. However, he had already come so far and he was so close. Though his body was aching so badly, Keith forced himself to push harder.

When he was close enough to the land that he could see what was on it, he could see his own house. He nearly fainted from the relief but he couldn’t faint now. He had to keep going.

When he finally crawled onto land, he collapsed.

-

When Keith awoke, the first thing he saw was Shiro’s terrified face above him. When Shiro saw that he was awake, he let out a huge sigh of relief. Then, his face turned angry.

“You’ve been gone for two days! I’ve never been so scared in my entire life. Where were you?”

“I was-” Keith cut himself off quickly, remembering that he wasn’t allowed to talk about Lance. This was going to be hard to explain. “I was just…” He trailed off, unable to come up with another explanation.

Shiro took a deep breath. “I need an explanation. Now. Please, Keith. Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been?”

“It happens while I’m sleeping,” Keith said. It was partially truthful. “The last thing I remember is going to sleep. I can’t remember anything else.”

Shiro squinted, suspicious. “You aren’t… you aren’t... on, anything, are you?”

Keith scowled. “Of course not.” 

Shiro nodded, looking ashamed. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have accused you of that.”

“Do you think I’m crazy?” Keith asked.

“No,” Shiro said. Keith could tell he wasn’t lying. “But I do think something’s wrong. We should get you checked by a doctor. I know you don’t like doctors, but this can’t keep happening. I’ve been worried sick, Keith. I thought you were dead.”

Shiro shook his head and pulled Keith into a hug. “I thought you were dead. I was so scared, Keith.”

“I’m sorry,” Keith mumbled.

“You don’t need to apologize.”

“Still.” Keith wished he could tell Shiro the truth, but he didn’t want to get Lance in trouble.

Already, he missed Lance. There was something about Lance that was captivating. Something about talking to him made Keith want to keep talking to him, though they hadn’t talked about anything particularly interesting.

“I thought I lost my brother,” Shiro said, his voice muffled. Then, he drew back and took a deep breath. “Do you have any idea what that feels like.” It wasn’t a question.

Keith looked at him reproachfully. “You know I do.” Keith had lost his parents when he was a baby.

Shiro was already apologizing. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to imply-”

“It’s fine, Shiro.”

-

Keith crossed his arms and blew his hair out of his eyes.

The doctor sitting across him behind the desk was shuffling through a file of papers. “So, Keith, how are you feeling?”

“I’m alright,” Keith said.

The doctor cracked a smile. “And that’s why you decided to come to the hospital?”

Keith looked out of the window at the grimy buildings. “In my sleep, I keep getting up and then I wake up in the middle of the sea.”

The doctor nodded. “I see. Well, I’m going to ask you some questions. Is that alright?”

“Go ahead.”

“Do you have any history with alcoholism?”

“No.”

“Have you been taking drugs?”

“No.”

“Do you smoke or live with a smoker?”

“No.”

“Hmm.” The doctor gave him an approving look. “You’re making a lot of healthy choices. Make sure to continue like this. Now, how are your stress levels?”

Keith considered the question. Until the first night he had heard the voice he hadn’t been stressed, but now he spent most of his time stressing about what would happen if this kept happening. In fact, he wished he had asked Lance about the voice. But Lance probably wouldn’t have answered. “I didn’t have much stress until this started.”

“I see.” The doctor stood up and motioned for Keith to remain where he was. The doctor disappeared behind the curtain and Keith could hear him murmuring in a low voice to someone else; probably a nurse. Then, the doctor re-emerged.

“As far as I can tell, this isn’t something medical, but I’m going to run a few tests to check, alright?”

“Alright,” Keith said. He really didn’t like hospitals but he supposed it wouldn’t last too long and, in the end, it would be beneficial to him.

However, the tests ended up lasting for hours. Keith had countless needles prodded into him, was sent to more than three different scans, and had to go through various standard tests that could prove that he had some sort of disease that was affecting him in this way.

In the end, the only thing the doctor was able to determine was that Keith was slightly dehydrated, so they gave Keith an IV and recommended him to stay overnight.

The hospital room was small and the walls were painted a pale blue. The hospital bed Keith had to stay in was clean and comfortable so Keith didn’t really mind having to stay there. A chair was placed in the corner of the room for Shiro to sit in, but the chair was only plastic and Shiro didn’t look too comfortable.

A steady stream of fluids were flowing into Keith’s veins and there was a slight burning sensation. Keith felt drowsy.

“The doctor said you’re dehydrated because you swallowed so much seawater,” Shiro said.

Keith nodded numbly. He could still taste the saltwater in his mouth but he didn’t know if it was real or psychological.  

“They also said that your lungs showed signs of having been filled with water but there is no water in them now. They’re all wondering how your body expelled that much water.” He gave a short laugh. “They say it was a miracle you survived. Must have been some sort of magic.”

Keith was sitting upright in an instant. “What?”

Shiro nearly jumped out of his seat, alarmed. “Careful, you-”

“Magic?” Keith echoed.

“Oh.” Shiro laughed again. “I was joking. Obviously magic isn’t real.”

Keith lay down again. His sharp movements had jostled the cannula in his arm around, and now it was hurting terribly. “The cannula-”

Shiro shot to his feet, already out the door. A few seconds later, he came back with a kindly-looking nurse.

She gave a disapproving cluck when she saw Keith. “Didn’t the doctor tell you not to move? Now, look. Your vein might be damaged.”

Keith closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to try and overcome the pain. “Sorry.”

The nurse tutted as she fixed the damage Keith had caused. Keith couldn’t see what she was doing but he could feel her adjusting the catheter. “Look, your vein is damaged.” The tube was taken out and Keith gave a hiss of pain. “Shh, it’s alright now.”

The nurse began the process of attaching the IV to Keith’s other hand, tying the strap around his wrist and tapping his hand to get the blood flowing to it. Then, Keith felt a sharp prick and the fluid flow started again. “Don’t move again, alright, honey?”

Keith’s eyes were half open. He could see her as she lathered cream all over his injured hand and stuck on a bandage. She patted his shoulder sympathetically, and left the room. Shiro was still sitting in the corner of the room.

“You alright, buddy?” Shiro asked. Keith nodded. “Why did you jump like that?”

Keith came up with the simplest excuse he could. “I thought you said something else.”

“Oh, alright,” Shiro said.

Magic.

Could it be Lance that did something to expel all that water from Keith’s lungs? Lance had mentioned that he could cast spells, but he might have been joking about that. Could it be him that saved Keith, in more ways than one?

Keith had to find out.

He would go back to the sea tomorrow, and he would find answers.

But for now, he could let himself rest.

_He was underwater again, but this time the water was filled with light. He was in some sort of coral reef and he was surrounded by thousands of brightly colored corals and fish._

_When he looked to his side, Lance was there. Underwater, he was even more beautiful, and for a moment Keith couldn’t breathe. When Keith composed himself, Lance smiled at him, and Keith was breathless all over again._

_Lance moved closer until his body was only centimeters away from Keith’s. Lance was closer now, close enough that his lips almost touched Keith’s. His hands were on Keith’s hips._

_Then, he moved to whisper in Keith’s ear. “I’ll see you soon, mullet.” Then, he pulled back to give him a blinding smile._

_“Even in my dreams, you’re an asshole,” Keith replied._

_Lance chuckled and let go of Keith. “Like you’re so nice. See you later, human.”_

_“My name is Keith. You know that.”_

_Though Lance had been swimming away, he paused to look at Keith. “Keith.”_

_Keith’s name had never sounded so beautiful. “Yes?”_

_Lance smiled cheekily. “Bye-bye, mullet. You’ll find me, right?”_

When Keith awoke, he could still feel the phantom trace of Lance’s hands.

He had to find Lance again.

He had to.


	2. Chapter 2

“No.”

“But, Shiro-”

“It’s dangerous.”

“But you’ll be there, too. And it will be during the day. With plenty of light.”

Shiro still had a frown on his face and his arms were crossed. “You don’t even like the sea, Keith. Why do you want to go on a boat trip?”

Keith shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “I think it would be a good idea, you know? Get used to the water. I need to get rid of my aquaphobia.”

Shiro gave him a look. “You don’t have aquaphobia.”

“But I don’t like water and I don’t know why. Maybe spending some more time around it will help me understand why. It might even help me understand why I keep swimming in my sleep.” Keith knew he was overdoing it, but maybe Shiro would be convinced. _Not likely._

“Keith, we live next to the sea. I think you spend enough time by the water,” Shiro said, eyeing him skeptically. “And plenty of people don’t like swimming. Your sleep-swimming problem is nothing to do with that.”

“Please,” Keith said.   

For two weeks, he had been searching the coast for Lance during the early mornings and late evenings. It wasn’t enough. Since Lance was a merperson, he wouldn’t hang out around the shallow waters; his home would be in the deep sea or around the shore of small islands. With each passing day he spent away from Lance, Keith felt as if he was being ripped apart from the inside. Though it was probably some sort of mermaid enchantment, Keith didn’t care. He had to find Lance, and he didn’t care if he was only feeling this way because Lance had enchanted him.

Besides, Keith knew Lance had the answers to the questions that had been troubling Keith for weeks. Though Keith told Shiro that he only went out to the sea in his sleep, it was a lie. Keith knew it was the voice that pulled him there. The memory of the voice was fading in his mind, but Keith could still remember the desperate longing he had to be near the voice. Maybe Lance could explain.

“Are you listening to me?” Shiro was speaking, sounding vaguely irritated.

“Sorry. What were you saying?”

“I said fine. We can go,” Shiro said with a hefty sigh. “We should invite our friends. If we’re going to hire a boat, we might as well make use of it.”

“Thanks, Shiro.” It would complicate things to have so many people around but he was sure he could sneak away for ten minutes. “When can we go?”

“I’ll try to arrange it for tomorrow. Go rest for now. The doctor said you shouldn’t exert yourself too much.”

-

The boat Shiro chose for a day tour was a medium sized one but it was big enough to fit all of them comfortably. The cabin contained two bedrooms, one bathroom, a small kitchen and an indoor seating area. On the deck there was another seating area. Behind the bow there was a large flat area and Keith noted with amusement that it would be perfect for re-enacting Titanic. He made a bet with himself that Matt would try to get Allura to re-enact it with him at some point.

“Well, I’m going for a swim. Does anyone want to join me?” Allura said. She was wearing a white, floaty sundress with a yellow stripe along the hem. Hooking her fingers under the hem of the dress, she pulled it off, revealing a white swimsuit underneath.

Matt instantly jumped to his feet. Keith could practically see cartoon hearts in his eyes. “I’ll come!”

Allura rolled her eyes as Matt nearly tripped over himself rushing to her side. “Great.”

Maybe this would be his chance to see if he could spot Lance. They were nearing an island; maybe he liked hanging around islands? The mermaids in stories always preened on rocks around islands but this wasn’t a story. This was real life, as difficult as that was to believe. “I’ll come, princess.”

Allura looked at him, surprised, while Matt shot daggers at him with his eyes. “Oh?”

Keith nodded and stood up.

“I thought you hated swimming,” Pidge said, peering at him questioningly.

Keith shrugged. “I guess it’s not that bad.”

“Well, I’m glad you decided to try it out after all,” Allura said cheerily. She stepped to the edge of the boat where there was a railing. Carefully, she climbed on it, keeping one hand on it to keep herself balanced. Then, she dove gracefully into the clear water. Keith could see her gliding underwater before coming up for air.

Matt immediately started clapping and Allura gave him a flattered smile.

Keith opted for a much less stylish option; at the stern of the boat there was a section of wood that was lowered to sea-level, intended to make it easier for people who wanted to enter the water. First, he dipped his toe into the water. It wasn’t too cold so he jumped into the water, making a huge splash.

Thankfully, no one was focused on him; they were all occupied with Allura. Satisfied, he called out, “I’m going to check out the island, alright?”

Nobody replied, so he swam towards the island. This wasn’t the dangerous island near their house; this island had no rocks surrounding it, only a pretty beach leading up to a sandy cave. When he reached the island, he waded out of the water easily. The dry sand stuck to his feet as he walked around the coast of the island. The island was tiny and he covered the whole coast in around five minutes. No sign of Lance.

Keith felt like an idiot. What made him think he could find one person who could be anywhere in the entire ocean? He sat down on a nearby rock and put his head in his hands. This was hopeless. He was never going to see Lance again. He stood up and walked back to the place where he had walked onto the island. When he glanced back at the boat, he could see that the others hadn’t noticed his disappearance yet.

He decided that he might as well explore the cave in front of him. The roof was low and it was dark. The floor was covered in a thin layer of sand and beneath it was hard rock. Thankfully, the roof looked strong enough that it wouldn’t cave in on Keith as he trekked deeper and deeper into the cave. The roof was steadily getting lower, and Keith was about to turn back until he heard something from deeper inside the cave.

It was the sound of a rushing river. Interested, he continued toward it. The roof was now low enough that Keith had to get on his hands and knees, crawling on all fours. Then, he had to lower himself onto his stomach and pull himself forward with his arms. It was exhausting, but he was curious as to what this underground river was like.

Then, he came out into a large area where the roof was high and he could see the river, flowing steadily. It was a strange shade of luminescent blue. It looked as if it was glowing, and Keith rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was seeing correctly. When he looked up at the ceiling, he could see that the ceiling was covered in the same material that the river was made of; it looked like water, but it was much thicker, like slime. The substance was trickling down, and a bit landed on Keith’s shoulder.

Intrigued, he wiped it off his shoulder and looked at the remnants of it that were on his hand. It was glowing brightly and he wondered if it was produced by some sort of bug.

He looked around the section of the cave he was in. Strangely, the room seemed to have become darker, and now he could see intricate carvings all over the walls. He stepped closer to the walls.

The carvings seemed to tell a story. There was a mermaid, or maybe a siren, because her parted lips revealed a line of sharp teeth. She was reaching out for a man, but a number of dark figures behind her were holding her back. One of the figures was holding an axe, and the tip was touching the siren’s neck.

Keith shuddered.

The next section of the wall showed the siren’s body on the ground, lifeless, and the man running away. And the next part showed the man being dragged into the depths of the water, his expression hauntingly desperate.

Keith shivered, rubbing his hands along his arms. Was it only him, or had this cave become colder?

The last section of the wall showed a different man wearing a crown with a triumphant expression on his face. However, another man was standing behind him, a menacing smile on his face. His skin seemed to be covered in a layer of fur.

As Keith continued along the wall, he saw a different set of carvings. A group of people pointing at a huge mechanical lion. An even bigger robot that looked like 5 of those mechanical lions put together. The robot brandishing a sword, standing majestically. It seemed to be staring straight at him.

Keith moved back to the section of the wall with the lifeless siren. Slowly, he reached out to touch the carving.

As soon as he touched it, the river started flowing rapidly and explosions of bubbles started up. It was now glowing more brightly than ever. Startled, he turned to get out of the cave, but the wall had sealed off behind him. He swore under his breath. How had that happened?

He turned back to the river. He could see a shadow gliding underwater. Then, the shadow crashed into the wall, and Keith heard the shadow curse loudly. The figure stuck their head out of the water.

It was Lance.

Keith didn’t even have any time to be relieved, because Lance was already talking, his expression horrified. “What did you do?”

“I don’t know!” Keith exclaimed, stricken. “I just touched the carvings, and then-”

Lance groaned loudly. “Oh, no. Fuck. We need to get out, now. Now!” He repeated loudly when Keith didn’t react. “Now, Keith! Oh, fuck. How are we- I got it. Come here. Keith!” He yelled it the last time. Keith rushed towards him, kneeling by the side of the river.

Lance grabbed his wrists and tugged him into the water. “Take a deep breath.”

“What-” Keith didn’t get to finish his sentence before Lance pushed him underwater. Dimly, he registered that Lance was pulling him along the river, the roof right above their heads. He hadn’t taken a deep breath, and just as the air left his lungs and he thought he was going to drown, they emerged in the open sea and Keith rushed up to the surface, taking a gasping breath.

Lance was still gripping Keith’s wrist. Keith followed him down a thin stream until they reached a cove that was sheltered by a roof of rock. Keith crawled onto land, coughing violently.

“What the hell was that?”

Lance narrowed his eyes. “I saved your life, idiot. Again.”

“Don’t call me an idiot.”

Lance sighed and ran a hand through his wet hair, which had flopped onto his forehead. “What were you doing there?”

“I was just looking around,” Keith said defensively, “and I found a cave entrance so I decided to explore it. What was that?”

Lance glanced behind him, and then climbed onto a large, flat rock so his full body was on display. The scales on his tail shimmered in the afternoon sun.

“What was that?” Keith asked again.

“Do you really expect me to tell you?”

This wasn’t the idyllic reunion Keith had imagined he would have with Lance, but then again, nothing had ever turned out how he imagined. Imagination was a strange thing, and Keith’s imagination often ran away with him.

Lance suddenly stiffened, and without warning he dove into the water, disappearing underneath an underwater rock. Keith soon saw the reason - the boat was approaching. Shiro was waving at him.

“Hey, where did you run off to?”

For the first time in a long time, Keith wasn’t happy to see Shiro. “Shiro, can I just finish something up here?”

“What are you doing?” Shiro called back.

“I found this cool crab,” Keith said off the top of his head. “I don’t want you to scare it off. Give me ten minutes.”

“Sure.”

Without stopping, the boat continued on its way. After a few seconds, Lance came out from under the rock, but he didn’t get back on the rock. Instead, he stayed in the water just beside the rock. So Keith sat on the rock, his legs dangling down into the water, and gazed down at Lance. Lance’s elbows rested on the rock, and he looked up at Keith with a gaze that was a mixture of intrigue, hesitance, and something else Keith couldn’t place.

“I didn’t think I would ever see you again,” Keith said.

Lance gave him a regretful smile. “You weren’t supposed to.”

There was a heavy silence before Keith said, “Did you get into trouble?”

Lance shook his head. “I probably will, now. Because of the whole cave fiasco.”

“What was that?” Keith asked, his curiosity ignited again. Lance didn’t answer and looked over at the side, avoiding eye contact. “Lance.”

Nothing.

“Lance.”

Lance coughed and still didn’t answer.

“Please tell me.”

Still no answer.

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll find out myself.”

Lance cracked a smile. “You do that, mullet.”

Keith scowled, his annoyance flaring up. “Stop calling me that!”

Lance side-eyed him. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

He was fuming now. “Asshole. I change my mind. I don’t want to talk to you anymore. Go away.”

Lance only smiled wider, his tail swishing in the water. “You can’t tell me what to do.”

“Leave me alone.”

Lance pushed himself up onto the rock and put his hand on Keith’s neck, moving closer to whisper in his ear. “Make me.”

Then, he smirked and moved to re-enter the water. However, Keith stopped him, placing his hands on Lance’s waist. “Maybe I will.”  

Lance’s face turned red as his action backfired and he sputtered out a few words Keith couldn’t understand. Keith let go of him but Lance remained on the rock, seated next to him. “Will you go away now?”

“You don’t want me to go away.”

“What makes you think that?”

“I saw you searching for me,” Lance said simply.

Keith stared at him in horror, embarrassment flaring up inside him. Lance knew that Keith had looked for him? This was horrible. Lance would think that he was just some clingy, desperate human. Which he might be. 

Lance grinned. “Embarrassed?”

Keith groaned and hid his face in his hands. “You saw me?”

“Yeah,” Lance said. “Obviously. That’s why I said I did.”

“Wait… why were you watching me?”

Now it was Lance’s turn to look embarrassed. “Oh, I- well, I just… I was, uh, I was- I was looking for my friend! My friend, Crabby. He’s a crab. I was looking for Crabby, not you.”

Keith snorted. “Crabby?”

“Yes, Crabby,” Lance insisted.

“Nice try,” Keith said. “Just admit it. You were watching me.”

“You have no evidence,” Lance protested. “And I wasn’t watching you.”  

“Sure, I believe you,” Keith said airily. Lance narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything else. Then, a light breeze started up, and an alluring, appealing scent hit Keith. The scent was vaguely floral and something about it was entrancing. Keith looked around for the source.

Lance blinked at him in disbelief. “Are you sniffing the air?”

“What is that smell?” Keith asked, and his voice came out as a moan.

Immediately, Lance blushed and shifted further away. “Uh, that’s me.” His face was crimson. “It’s a biological thing, I think. It’s supposed to attract you. Not you!” Lance blurted out. “I meant to say mates! Potential mates. Not you specifically!”

Keith would have laughed but the scent was distracting. The scent must be a pheromone, because his skin suddenly felt hot and his swimming trunks felt tighter. _Fuck._ Instinctively, he jumped into the water. By now the water had become cold and he regretted the impulse decision. On the other hand, his body had thankfully cooled off, and he couldn’t smell Lance anymore.

“Keith?” Lance’s worried face peered over the edge of the rock to look at Keith. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” Keith said shortly, hoping Lance wouldn’t realize.

“Oh.” Lance trailed off, realizing what effect the scent had. He blushed. “Oh, I didn’t think- Sorry. I didn’t realize you would…”

“It’s alright,” Keith said, his face flaming. “I’m sorry.”

“No, no.” Lance blushed again. “God, this is embarrassing.”

“You can’t control it,” Keith said, “Don’t worry.” After a pause, he asked, “Can you?”

Lance froze. “Uh, well, actually- no, never mind.”

Keith looked at him suspiciously. “Can you?”

Lance blushed again, and he laced his fingers together. “Well, normally the smell isn’t this strong, but when I- when I’m-” he coughed a little, completely mortified, “Uh, if I’m attracted to someone it becomes much stronger.”

Oh.

“I see,” Keith said, flushing again. Lance coughed awkwardly. “Well, I- yeah.”

“I’d better go now.” Lance slid off the rock into the water. “I shouldn’t have stayed so long.”

“Wait,” Keith said as Lance prepared to swim away. Lance paused and turned to look at Keith. “Will I see you again?”

“No.” Hurt flashed across Lance’s eyes. “I’m really sorry. I wish it didn’t have to be like this.”

“Please don’t go.”

Lance closed his eyes. “Don’t do this to me. Please, I’m begging you.”

Keith knew he was upsetting Lance, but he couldn’t help it. “Please, Lance. I can’t not see you again.”

Lance opened his eyes and smiled weakly. “Humans are so clingy. But I’m sorry, Keith. Really.”

Keith’s name sounded like music coming out of Lance’s lips. He tried again. “Please.”

“Don’t do this to me,” Lance pleaded.

Keith let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding. “Please.” The word was nothing more than a whisper.

Lance was torn, and his voice was destroyed when he whispered, “Just once more. Tonight, nine o’ clock. At that beach by your house.”

Keith thought he might faint from the relief. “I’ll be there.”

“Don’t be late,” Lance whispered, and then he was gone.

-

After the boat trip, Shiro and the others had gone back to Allura’s house. It took a lot of convincing for Shiro to allow Keith to stay home alone, but Keith had finally managed to wear him down by pointing out the fact that he was now eighteen and he was a legal adult.

Quietly, he walked outside to the beach. Lance was there, sitting on the shore, his tail in the water but his top half on land. He bit his lip when he saw Keith. Keith sat down beside him. The memory of how desperate he had been for Lance to stay earlier that day and how he begged him without any dignity whatsoever was intensely embarrassing and he hoped Lance wouldn’t bring it up.

“You’re not wearing a jacket,” Lance said quietly. “It’s cold.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Keith said.

Lance jerked his head towards the house. “Who’s that guy you live with?”

“My brother, Shiro.”

“You’re adopted, right?”

Keith was surprised. “You remember that?”

“You didn’t say it that long ago. Why are you adopted?” Then, Lance cringed as if he realized it was a rude question. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked.”

“No problem,” Keith said. “My parents died when I was a baby.”

“Oh. I’m sorry.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Keith said, “I was too little to remember them. For all I know, they could have been crazy axe murderers. What about your family?”

Lance looked away. “That’s a long story.”

“I have time.”

“When I was little, I lived with my family in another ocean. And- well, I don’t want to talk about this now,” Lance cut himself off. “Why are you so desperate to see me, anyway?”

“You must have enchanted me,” Keith said flatly. “And speaking of enchantments, I need to ask you something.”

“I probably won’t answer.”

“There’s this voice that I keep hearing whenever I come here,” Keith said. Lance stiffened. “I know you know what it is.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You do,” Keith said. “Explain it.”

Lance scowled. “You can’t tell me to explain it. You know I can’t. Do you have any idea how many rules that would be breaking?”

“We’re already breaking all the rules,” Keith said. Lance looked away.

“I should go.”

“Please stay.”

“Damn you,” Lance said. “You know I’m going to get into huge trouble. You know what the jail sentence is for talking to a human? One hundred years.”

Keith wasn’t sure if he heard that correctly. “A hundred years?”

“Oh, yeah. I forgot that humans only live until ninety. Alteans can live for hundreds of years- fuck, I wasn’t supposed to tell you that.” Lance looked stricken. “Don’t tell anyone.”  

“What are Alteans?”

“I can’t tell you,” Lance said.

Frustration flashed through Keith. “What difference does it make? I already know about your existence, and I already promised not to tell anyone about it.”

“You don’t understand!”

“You’re right. I don’t.” Keith stood up and started walking back to the house.

“I’m sorry,” Lance said. Keith stopped. “I’m sorry. You’re right. You already know about us, you might as well know a bit more.”

Keith sat back down and Lance shifted closer, glancing around before beginning to speak in a softer voice.

“So, you know how there are different species of animals? There are also different species of mermaids. Well, the politically correct term is merpeople, but most people say mermaids. I’m Altean, which means I’m part of a species of mermaid that comes from a kingdom called Altea.”

“And Alteans can live for hundreds of years?”

Lance nodded. “Yeah. Most mermaids have a much longer lifespan than humans.”

“And what about that voice?”

Lance hesitated. “Telling you about that is even more illegal than speaking to you. It’s- no, never mind. I really can’t tell you that.” 

“It’s fine,” Keith said. He would convince Lance to tell him some other time. “Tell me about you.”

“You mean about Altea?”

“No, I mean about you. Tell me about yourself.”

Lance’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “You want to find out about me?”

“Do people usually not?”

Lance didn’t reply. It was his answer.

“Well, I do.”

“As I already told you, I’m Altean, and I’m seventeen. I have two brothers and one sister. I like swimming, obviously. I especially like swimming around island areas because the water is usually a lot clearer around there and it’s really pretty in the early mornings. And… oh, yeah. I’m going to university.”

“What are you studying?”

“Terraexploration,” Lance said.

“That sounds interesting. What is it?”

Lance considered the question. “I guess it would be the equivalent of space exploration.”

“But how do you survive on land?”

“See, that’s the thing,” Lance said, “It’s a sector of exploration that only Alteans can do. Alteans have this biological trait where we can alter our bodies. Nothing major,” he added, “but we can change things like skin color, height and we can change our tails into legs. When we do that, we can survive out of water.”

“That’s really interesting,” Keith said, leaning forward so he could hear Lance better. Fairytales always made it sound like mermaids were nothing but accessories who sat around preening on rocks all day, but what Lance was telling him proved otherwise. He never would have imagined that merpeople would have such a complex, developed society, maybe even more so than the society on land.

“Yeah, so when we do that, we have these specially designed aircrafts that we send out to look around your world,” Lance said. He grinned. “I’m a brilliant pilot.”

Keith was skeptical. Something in Lance’s tone said otherwise. “Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Lance said. “In fact, they call me the tailor because of how I thread the needle.”

Keith’s lips curved into a small, cynical smile. Lance didn’t give off the impression of being a good pilot. “Are you joking?”

“You’re an asshole,” Lance told him, “I am a great pilot.”

“Have you actually been out on an expedition?”

“I just told you I’m still in Uni,” Lance said, side-eyeing him, “Why would I have gone out?”

“You’ve never been out of the water?”

Lance dug his fingers into the sand, taking a handful of it and tossing it in the sea before turning back to Keith. “I’m out of it now, aren’t I?”

“You know what I mean.”

“I haven’t,” Lance admitted. “But I will, someday.”

“We can go somewhere together,” Keith offered, hoping it wasn’t the wrong thing to say. “Someday.” 

Lance looked at him with wide, astonished eyes. “Really?”

“Yes,” Keith breathed, and a familiar floral scent drifted past him. He froze, willing himself not to react to it. Lance blushed.

“I’m sorry,” Lance said. “I can’t believe this keeps happening.” 

“It’s alright. You’re a teen. It’s basic biology.”

Lance groaned. “Are you going to give me a sex talk?”

“No,” Keith said hastily, “I just-”

He was too late; Lance was already laughing.

“You’re the worst,” Keith complained. “I’m trying to make you feel better here.”

Lance raised an eyebrow. “I’m not the only one getting affected. I can smell it when humans are attracted to me.”

Keith glared at him. “Hey, I’m a teen too. I can’t help it… you can smell me?”

“Yeah.” Lance looked down at the ground, where his fingers left a small uneven hole in the sand.

“What do I smell like?”

Lance’s cheeks were still dusted with pink. “Do I have to say?”

“I’m really curious.”

“You smell- well, you smell kind of musky.” Lance covered his face with his hands as he continued speaking. “And kind of spicy. How can I describe this… you smell warm.”

Keith looked down at the ground, trying to hide his red cheeks. “Is it a good smell?”

“Yes,” Lance said dreamily, and then he snapped out of it. “Wait, forget I said that. Forget I said that!” he insisted as Keith began laughing. “Don’t laugh at me!”

“Huh. So we smell good to each other,” Keith said. Dryly, he added, “Maybe we should sit here and smell each other all night.”

Lance nudged him playfully. “I wouldn’t say no.”

“What has my life become?” Keith asked. “What has my life become? One day, I don’t believe in myths, and the next day I’m being hit on by a horny mermaid.”

Lance frowned. “I’m not a horny- well, alright, I kind of am.”

Just as Keith was about to say something else, the noisy sound of Shiro’s car entering the driveway roared through the night.  

“I need to go,” Lance hissed.

“Meet me here tomorrow the same time, okay?”

Lance hesitated, then nodded.

-

Flowers were everywhere, spilling from bright green bushes and growing on jade trees. From the ground sprang pink, orange, yellow and white flowers, spreading out their petals in dainty rosettes. Tall green trees rose up from the ground, strong and steady, and branches covered in leaves stretched out, covering the sky.

Ahead of Keith, there was a hidden archway in the mountain, obscured by hanging vines. When he pushed his way through them, he emerged in a clearing. A waterfall of crystal water flowed down from the top of the mountain, spreading out into a clear pool. Lush greenery surrounded him.

Tired, Keith sat down on the grass. He had been hiking for hours, and his feet were aching. Hiking always relaxed him, and he always felt at his calmest when he was in nature. However, his mind was too busy for him to feel calm. So much had happened in the past weeks. And some questions were troubling him. It annoyed him how Lance refused to tell him the answers to most of the questions, but he figured it wasn’t Lance’s fault. Keith hoped Lance didn’t get into trouble for meeting with Keith again.

That lead into another thought. What had happened in the cave, with the bubbling river and the glowing carvings? It was clearly magical, but there still had to be an explanation. He was sure that he could convince Lance to give him that explanation, though Lance had refused the last time he asked.

-

Lance gave Keith a despairing look. “Why do you keep asking me all of this? You know I can’t answer!”

“You can,” Keith accused, “You can’t be scared of breaking the law. I mean, you’re here with me.”

“I shouldn’t be.”

“But you are.”

Keith had told Shiro that he was going out to buy some groceries, but instead he sneaked around the back of the house to the beach. He knew that Shiro always read for an hour before sleeping so there was no chance he would look out of the window and see them.

Lance made a frustrated sound. “Stop it. You’re always doing this. Can’t we just talk for once without you forcing me to tell you stuff?”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”  

“You better be.” Lance huffed.

“What’s Altea like?” Keith asked.

Lance perked up. “It’s the most beautiful place ever. There’s coral everywhere and the sunlight shining on the seabed is the prettiest thing ever, and—" his face fell— "I wish you could see it.”

“I’m guessing mermaids don’t have cameras?” Keith said.

Lance shook his head. There was something in his eyes that was conflicted, and Keith could see that he was struggling with himself. Keith waited patiently until Lance spoke again. “There might be a way you could see.”

Keith stilled. “What?”

“Never mind. It’s too risky. Ignore that.”

Keith stiffened, the familiar anger swelling in his chest. “Sure, don’t tell me. It’ll be another thing on your list of things to keep from me.”

Lance stiffened. Then, quietly, he said, “You’re an asshole.”

Keith narrowed his eyes. “Sorry, but this is what humans are like. If you don’t like it, you can go back to your Altea.”

“I think I will,” Lance said, his voice still deathly quiet. With a small splash, he disappeared into the depths of the sea.

Keith lay back down on the sand, staring up at the vast sky. His anger was already ebbing away.

_What did I just do._


	3. Chapter 3

It was the twelfth time this week Keith had checked the coast for any signs of Lance. Nothing. Shiro had asked him why he was so obsessed with the sea now but Keith had simply replied that he liked swimming now. It was far from the truth, but it was the simplest answer. Satisfied, Shiro didn’t question Keith any further, and didn’t protest when Keith began spending more and more time around the sea which had come so close to killing him.

Now, Keith was sitting on the sands, his legs stretched so his feet were in the water. His hair was tied back and he was wearing a pair of black sunglasses.

Then, he saw splashes in the water. For a moment he thought it was Lance, but it turned out to be a shoal of small, silver fish. Oped

“Keith?” Shiro was calling him from inside the house. “Can I talk to you for a minute?”

When Keith went inside, he sat down on the sofa beside Shiro and pulled the sunglasses off, dropping them on the table.

“I think we need to talk about something.”.

That sounded ominous. “About what?”

“I’m worried about you,” Shiro said. “For weeks, you’ve been acting strange. You don’t talk to me anymore, whenever we go out you ignore all of us, and you keep going out for long walks without telling me where you’re going. Is something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Keith said shortly. He didn’t want to lie to Shiro, but for Lance’s sake, he would. Thinking of what he could say that would make Shiro believe him, he decided to go for the pitying approach. “I’m going through a difficult stage because I don’t go to school anymore. I feel as if I disappointed you.”

Shiro’s eyes widened. “Keith, I could never be disappointed in you. You’re my brother.”

“Still,” Keith muttered, hating himself for the lie. “I feel as if I’m not enough.”

When Keith said that, Shiro looked at him suspiciously. “Are you lying to me?”

“No,” Keith exclaimed, internally cursing himself. “Why would I?”

“You never tell me about your feelings like this. It’s not like you to admit that you feel self-conscious.”

Shiro knew him too well, and now he was giving Keith a look he recognized very well. It was the look Shiro always had whenever he caught Keith in a lie; a mixture of resignation and disappointment. “Are you seeing someone?”

“Of course not!” Another lie.

Shiro’s eyes were boring into Keith. “Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

“You know you can tell me anything, right?” Shiro was sincerely trying to support Keith but his earnestness was more troublesome than supportive. “I know it must be awkward to talk about your crushes with me, but you can trust me.”

“I’m not seeing anyone,” Keith said shortly.

Shiro nodded and stood up. “Okay, buddy. Anytime you want to talk to me about anything, I’ll be here. School, friends, girls, anything.”

“Girls?”

Shiro grinned and patted Keith’s shoulder. “I remember when I was your age and I was crazy about girls. It happens to all boys.” 

Oh, yeah. Keith forgot that he hadn’t come out to Shiro yet. This would be a good time to do it, but Shiro was already walking away. He was sure that Shiro would be supportive but it was a terrifying prospect anyway. In fact, Keith hadn’t come out to anyone yet.

Great. Another thing for him to have to think about.

-

“Keith?”

Keith stirred drowsily.

There was a whisper outside his window.

“Hey, mullet. You there?”

Keith’s eyes flew open. There was only one person who called him that. He rushed to the window and pulled it open, sticking his head outside. Lance was there, right under the window. He was in a shallow pool of water, connected to the sea by a dug-out trench.

“What are you doing here?” Keith asked, gripping the window sill as he stared down at Lance.

“I wanted to see you,” Lance said. “I’m sorry that I left so suddenly the other day.”

Keith was speechless. “Did you dig that trench?”

Lance glanced behind him. “Oh, yeah. It took a really long time, actually, because the sea kept washing it away but eventually I got it done.”

“Why?” Keith asked, disbelieving.

“Because I can’t stay out of water and I wanted to see you,” Lance said, “And your house is here so I needed to be able to come here. And voila! I did it.”

“Thank you,” Keith said. “But you didn’t need to. I would have found you anyway.”

Lance looked at him, touched. “You would?”

“Yes,” Keith whispered. “Wait a minute, I’ll come down there.” After a moment of deliberation, he turned around so he was facing his room and lowered himself out the window until he was hanging from the window with his fingertips. The fall was a few meters but if he landed correctly he wouldn’t injure himself. Lance watched anxiously as he took a deep breath and let go of the window sill. Instantly, he dropped downwards and as he landed he bent his knees to absorb the impact. It didn’t work and a pang of pain shot up his legs, but he bit back a cry.

He sat on the ground next to the small pool Lance had created. The sand was wet and uneven, even sludgy so it was like sitting in a swamp. There was an overwhelming smell of salt in the air, which he hated, but he could also faintly smell the hint of Lance’s flowery smell, which was a lot better than the salt. He was cold and uncomfortable but he guessed Lance must be even more so, so he didn’t complain and smiled at Lance.

“I saw you earlier today, on the beach,” Lance said, smiling back at him warmly. “You look cute in sunglasses.”

Keith had never been described as cute before. The word didn’t seem to suit him. “I do?”

Lance nodded. Then, he hesitated. “I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

Lance swallowed hard. “You asked about the voice. It’s-”

“You don’t have to tell me,” Keith interrupted.

“I want to,” Lance said, almost inaudibly.

“Tell me later,” Keith said. “For now, I want to get to know you.”

Lance’s cheeks turned pink. “I already told you about myself. It’s your turn to talk.”

“I’m not very interesting.”

“Tell me anyway.”

Keith thought for a few seconds. What could he say about himself that someone as interesting as Lance would want to know? “Both my biological parents are dead. My adoptive parents died a few years ago.”

“Are you going to tell me depressing stuff?”

Keith glared at him. “I’m getting to the rest of it. I like nature, especially volcanoes. If I could live in a volcano, I probably would.”

Lance snorted. “Really?”

“And I’m planning on enrolling at this school for space travel.”

Lance’s eyes lit up, and Keith was struck again by how stunning he was. “You like exploration, too?”

Keith nodded eagerly.

They ended up talking about exploration for hours; about the vast expanses of space, about the silent depths of the ocean, about savannahs, deserts, volcanoes. Lance explained the entire concept of Terraexploration to Keith and the meaning behind it, and he explained how the planes and vehicles were developed. Though he admitted that he wasn’t doing very well in school, he was passionate about it and Keith could see how hard he was trying.

In turn, Keith told Lance about space. About all the constellations, the stars, planets, galaxies, and how humans were brave enough and crazy enough to send living people up to the moon. In Altea, people weren’t taught about space, because they thought that the world of the humans was all they would ever need to know other than their own civilizations, and Lance listened to each word Keith said eagerly with a childish interest.

“Humans really go out of the atmosphere?” Lance said in a hushed, awed voice.

Keith nodded.

“Wow. That’s amazing. I feel inferior now.”

“You could never be inferior,” Keith said. “Especially compared to me. Look at yourself.”

“I’m not much.”

“You’re everything.”  

Lance smiled shyly. “You’re not bad yourself, mullet.”

-

“You look really fucking tired,” Pidge said. “What time did you go to sleep?”

“Not that late,” Keith said. He had stayed up past 5 a.m. talking to Lance, and he only realized it was daytime because he heard the cries of the seagulls a short distance away from them. He managed to sneak back into the house before Shiro realized, but it was close.

“Yeah, yeah.”

“How’s school going?” Keith asked, changing the subject.

“Pretty good, actually. The lessons are very interesting,” Pidge said. Then, she sighed. “Our conversations always end up so awkward. We really don’t see each other enough.”

It was a habit of Keith’s to abruptly change the subject with a completely unrelated question, and today was no exception. “How long does it take to fall in love with someone?”

Pidge gave Keith a dubious look. She was used to the habit. “Do you really think I’m the best person to answer that question?” The corners of her mouth quirked up. “And do you have something to tell me, Keith Kogane?”

“I’m asking for a friend,” Keith said.

“Which friend?”

“I forgot their name” was the first thing Keith thought to say.

Pidge burst out laughing. “You forgot their name?”

“I’m going to go get coffee,” Keith said, standing up and walking to the counter. Pidge was still laughing as he ordered his coffee, and she started laughing again when he sat back down with his coffee. “You’re the worst.”

“Actually, I’m the best,” Pidge informed him.

Keith gave her a fond smile. “You sure are, Pidgeon.”

“I’m detecting some sarcasm,” Pidge said. “Tone it down there, buddy.”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, shoot.”

Keith was going to ask her if she was going to apply to the Garrison, but he realized that if she said she was, he would feel too intimidated to continue talking and tell her he was planning on applying as well. “Never mind.”

“God, I hate it when people do that,” Pidge complained, “If you were just going to say never mind, why did you mention anything at all?”

He sighed. “I was going to ask you if you’re still planning on applying to the Garrison.”

Pidge nodded eagerly. “Definitely. In fact, I’ve already applied. I’m going to be a communications officer.”

“I’m planning on applying as well,” Keith made himself say. He hadn’t even told Shiro that he was planning to apply to the Garrison yet. In fact, the only person he had told so far was Lance.

Pidge brightened, a smile forming on her face. “Keith, that’s awesome! I know you would be a brilliant pilot. You do want to be a pilot, right?” When Keith nodded, she continued. “Remember that time when we were little and my dad hired that private plane to take us on a flight, and the pilot passed out so you had to fly the plane?”

_Pidge’s eyes darted from the pilot passed out in the cockpit to Keith, full of pure fear. “We’re going to die!”_

_“We’re not going to die,” Keith said, his tone fiery and a determined look flashing across his eyes._

_“I don’t want to die!” Pidge wailed as Keith ran over to the cockpit and heaved the unconscious pilot out of his seat, taking his place. “No, what are you doing?”_

_“We’re not going to die!” Keith yelled, and just as the plummeting plane was about to crash he jerked the joystick up and they flew back up into the air._

Keith shook his head, an amused smile forming on his lips. “I’m pretty sure you were crying.”

“I was really little!” Pidge protested. “I was, what, ten? And my point is, you saved both of our lives that day. You flew that plane so well even my dad said you were a natural.”

“He was probably saying that to make me feel good about myself.”

Pidge shook her head. “You know my dad. He means what he says. You’re a natural, Keith.”

“Maybe,” Keith conceded, “but I can’t get into the Garrison by being a natural.”

“Just wait and see,” Pidge said. “The moment you show them what you’re made of, they’ll be begging you to go up into space.”

She grinned. “Make sure you don’t forget me on Earth, cadet.”

-

Keith smiled as he saw Lance waiting for him. It was the fifth night this week they had met, yet Keith never tired of speaking to the charming, cute mermaid.

Keith sat beside him. Teasingly, he said, “You’re not tired of me yet?”

Lance snorted. “Yeah, I’m tired of you. That’s why I keep breaking the law to come see you.”                    

“How was your day?”

“Alright. It’s Saturday, so there wasn’t much going on. I found a giant octopus in my bathtub, but that happens pretty often so it wasn’t that surprising. Uh, what else… there was this new cadet at school but they weren’t from Altea and they couldn’t speak Altean.”

 “Is Altean the language they speak in Altea?”

Lance gave him a look. “No, it’s the language they speak in Daibazaal. Of course it’s the language of Altea!”

“Then how do you know English?”

“We have to learn English,” Lance said, “because it’s an international language. All mermaid civilizations are taught English. And also, I watch a lot of your human TV shows.”

Keith tilted his head. “There are TVs underwater?”

Lance nodded. “Well, yeah. Waterproof TVs. And trust me, human shows are a lot better than Altean shows. Altean shows are all about tragic love and stuff like that. You know, mermaids from rival families falling in love or a prince falling in love with a maid.”

“What about mermaids falling in love with humans?” Keith asked. “The forbidden love type thing.”

Lance gave him a look. “That’s illegal. It would be like humans having a show about two guys falling in love.”

“That’s not illegal,” Keith said, his stomach turning with fear. Was Lance homophobic?

Lance gasped, his eyes lighting up. “It’s not illegal?”

“Is it illegal in Altea?”

“Yeah,” Lance said, his tone suddenly tinged with bitterness. He cracked a weak smile. “You guys are lucky. And anyway, as I was saying, mermaids and humans falling in love is extremely illegal, so of course they can’t show it on the TV.”

“Why is it illegal?” Keith asked. He wasn’t sure which he was talking about.

“I didn’t make the rules,” Lance said. He hesitated. “Is it really not illegal?”

“Being gay?”

Lance nodded.

“It is illegal in a lot of countries, but not the USA,” Keith said, “Which is where we are now.”

“I can’t believe it,” Lance said.

“Why, do you think it’s wrong?” Keith said, his eyes narrowing and his stomach plummeting.

“No!” Lance said quickly, surprised. “Of course not. I’m just really surprised. In Altea, it’s illegal.”

“Altea doesn’t sound like a very accepting place,” Keith said flatly.

“It used to be,” Lance said, his tone wistful. “But ever since Queen-” he cut himself off, looking horrified. “I shouldn’t have said that. Forget I said that.”

Keith sighed.  

“I’m sorry I have to keep so much from you. But this is how it has to be.”

“I understand.”

“I know you do.” Lance took a deep breath and released it. Then, he stretched his arms above his head, yawning.

“Are you tired?”

“No,” Lance said, yawning again and smiling at Keith sleepily. “No.”

“Maybe you should go to bed.”  

“I want to keep talking to you.”

Ignoring the flutters in his heart, Keith said, “I’ll still be here tomorrow.”

“I might not be,” Lance said.

Keith understood what he meant.

-

“Coran, could I ask you something?”

“Sure, my young friend,” Coran said brightly, placing his hand firmly on Keith’s shoulder.

They were sitting in the living room at Coran and Allura’s house, while Allura and the others were in her room; Allura’s mice had learnt some new tricks she wanted to show everyone. So, Keith had taken the opportunity to have a talk with Coran, who was as wise as he was eccentric.

“Hypothetically,” Keith began, “If I like this- this person, that I hypothetically can’t have, what do you think I should do? Hypothetically.”

Coran gave Keith a knowing look that Allura often referred to as the ‘knowing uncle’ look.

“Ah, the fresh blossoms of young love.”

“I was asking hypothetically,” Keith protested.

Coran patted Keith’s shoulder. “Yes, yes. As I was saying, the blossoms of young love do bloom ever forth. Or is that how the saying goes… I can’t quite remember… well, anyhow! I’d say take your chance, because you never know! Perhaps this young lady is yearning for you, too.”

Keith had to suppress a laugh at _young lady._ Not a chance. “It was hypothetical. I’m not yearning for anyone.”

Coran patted Keith’s shoulder again. “I have seen this time and time again. You, my boy, are in denial.”

Keith huffed and crossed his arms. “I am not in denial. And make sure Shiro never hears about this. Shiro will tell Matt, Matt will tell the others, and none of them will ever let me live this down.”  

Coran’s eyes glinted. “Am I hearing a confession?”

“No!” Keith yelped. “I’m saying the others will assume that I like someone. Which I don’t.”

“You don’t need to lie to me, young Keith. I believe it’s as if Number Five always says; Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt.” Coran chuckled to himself. “I believe that’s how the youngsters nowadays would say it.”

“Coran.”

“Yes, as I was saying. You should just tell this young lady how you feel. Perhaps she isn’t so unattainable after all!”

“There’s no young lady,” Keith said. “And in this hypothetical scenario, the person is completely unattainable.”  

“Why?” Coran asked, mystified.

“I don’t know,” Keith said, “it’s a hypothetical scenario.”

“In that case, I’m afraid the only advice I can give you is to be honest with her. If you like her, then tell her. In the fragile world of love, the worst thing is misunderstandings. More than often, a simple conversation can help you avoid a lot of problems. And-”

Coran was cut off by the sound of his phone blaring with _Coran Coran the Gorgeous Man_. “Oh, that must be the princess.”

“Tell her I say hi,” Keith said idly, already leaving the room.

“Make sure you tell her!” Coran called after him.

-

“Lance,” Keith began.

“I have great news!” Lance exclaimed, breathless as he swam to the shore and pulled himself so he was half on land.

Keith peered at him closely. “Is that… glitter on your lips?”

Lance rolled his eyes and leaned in closer, fluttering his eyelashes flirtatiously. “It’s lip gloss. Want a taste?”

Keith blinked, suddenly unable to breathe. Lance’s breath was sweet and sugary, like strawberries.

Lance laughed and leaned back. “You should see the look on your face right now.”

Keith’s cheeks were burning, and he couldn’t think of a witty comeback.

“So, do you want to hear the good news now?” Lance suggested.

“Sure,” Keith managed to say, his voice weak.

Lance smirked, knowing the effect he had on Keith. He leaned close again, placing his hand on Keith’s knee, sending shivers up Keith’s spine. “Distracted?”

“Shut up,” Keith said, the words coming out in a stutter. “You’re a mermaid, you probably enchanted me with some weird mermaid magic.”

“Nope. It’s just the old Lance charm you’re falling for,” Lance said in a sing-song voice, moving his tail beside him so the moonlight glinted off the scales.

“Shut up and tell me the good news.”

“Yeah, the good news,” Lance said, practically bouncing with excitement, sending ripples across the calm surface of the water. “I got you something!”

“That’s the good news?” Keith said, uncertain.

Lance beamed at him. “Yes!”

Until now, he had kept one of his hands behind his back, and now he brought it forward to show Keith his open palm, where a ring was resting.

The opulent ring was made up of a huge sapphire in the center, surrounded by a halo of blue diamonds and sapphires, set on a heavy, white gold band. It had a certain air of forgotten beauty to it, as if it had been discovered in an abandoned shipwreck.

“It’s beautiful,” Keith said, mesmerized.

Lance smiled at him, but it was an expression Keith had never seen on his face before; it was uncharacteristically soft and full of affection, even adoration. “It’s for you.”

Keith gasped. “You didn’t-”

“I didn’t buy it, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Lance said. His hand was still on Keith’s knee, and it was warm in the cold air of the night. “It used to be my mother’s.”

“I can’t take it,” Keith said, biting his lip and pushing down the sinking feeling his own refusal gave him.

“I _want_ you to have it,” Lance said, the same adoring expression lighting up his face. Keith felt as if his heart was going to burst.

“I can’t take something so precious from you,” Keith said.

“I want to give it to you. Please, take it.”  

“I can’t.”

“Keith, buddy, I’m going to get really offended if you don’t.”

“Seriously, Lance. I can’t take something so precious from you.”

Under his breath, Lance whispered, _you’re more precious,_ but Keith might have misheard him. He reached out to take Keith’s hand and pressed the ring into it, keeping his hand in Keith’s. Keith wanted to force him to take the ring back, but when Lance was holding his hand he couldn’t do anything but focus on the feeling on Lance’s skin against his.

“Keith.”

“Lance.”

“For me,” Lance said quietly. Keith’s heart was pounding. “Take it for me. Please, I want you to have it.”

“Okay,” Keith said, giving in and letting Lance slide the ring onto his finger. It fit perfectly.

When Lance smiled, his eyes sparkled. “Thank you.”

Keith couldn’t stop himself from leaning in and closing the distance between them.

Lance melted into his arms and Keith pulled him closer, not caring that he was wet and Keith’s clothes would now be wet too. Lance’s lips were soft and tasted of strawberries and his now-dry hair was curly, soft against Keith’s fingers. He cupped Keith’s cheeks and deepened the kiss, sliding his hands up and tangling his fingers in Keith’s hair. A fuzzy, floating feeling was spreading over him and the feeling of Lance’s breath against his lips was addictive.

Then, Keith realized what he was doing and jerked back. He backed away, standing up.

Lance looked at him with a hurt expression. “What-”

“You’re right.” Keith was breathing heavily and his head was still spinning. He kissed Lance. He kissed Lance. This couldn’t be real. “We can’t do this. It’s too dangerous.”

“I don’t care,” Lance said, pained, “We can-”

“We can’t. I’m so sorry, Lance. I want this more than anything.”

“Me too. I-”

Keith kneeled down and took Lance’s face in his hands before kissing him again, desperate. The second kiss tasted like the salt in the sea, vaguely metallic. Before Lance had a chance to respond, he pulled away and stood up again. “I can’t put you in danger like this.”

“Keith! Don’t go!” Lance called, but Keith had already run off.

When he reached his house and locked himself in his room, Keith finally allowed himself to break down.

_What did I just do._

-

“Okay, it’s time for you to tell me why you’re moping about.”

“I’m not moping.”

Pidge raised an eyebrow. “Nice try, but you’re definitely moping.”

Keith didn’t bother to reply, turning away and focusing his stare on the rusty lamp post in front of them. He was with Pidge at the park near her house, and they were sitting on the swings. There was a small child standing a few meters away, eyeing them jealously. The child probably wanted a turn on the swings, but Keith wasn’t planning to get off anytime soon. It was the child’s parents’ own fault if they brought their child to the park at the busiest time of the day: the early evening, when most people got off work and decided to bring their children to the park.

Though there wasn’t a lot of wind, the weather had been cold this past month and Keith wished he brought a jacket. None of the little children were wearing jackets, but then again, they were playing and jumping around, which definitely warmed them up. Keith was just sitting on a swing, staring at the ground and feeling sorry for himself. _God, I’m pathetic._

“We’ve been friends for ten years, cadet. I know when something’s bothering you,” Pidge said. “I don’t get why you’re being so secretive.”

Keith wished he could explain.

Pidge poked his shoulder. “Keith. Tell me.”

No answer.

“I don’t understand why you’re not telling me,” Pidge said. Now she looked hurt. “Do you not trust me anymore?”

“I trust you more than anyone,” Keith said. It was the truth. “But I’m not sad.”

“Are you in some sort of trouble?” Pidge asked, leaning forward and glancing around them. “Did you join a gang or something? Is the Mafia after you?”

Keith gave her a dry look. “Really?”

“I’m worried about you,” Pidge said.

Then, Keith had an idea. Maybe he could tell her the truth. Or, at least, part of it. But that would mean he would have to tell her about everything. He would have to tell her how his heart clenched whenever he thought of Lance, and now it felt like his heart had been pierced by shattered glass. Keith would have to tell her how all he thought of was Lance, and how Keith had ruined everything.

“Alright,” Keith said. He took a deep breath. “You’re right. There is something.”

Pidge looked satisfied, but she didn’t gloat about the fact that she was right. She waited patiently while Keith struggled to gather his thoughts.

“I met someone,” Keith said finally. “And they’re-” he paused, trying to find the words to describe Lance. “I’ve never met anyone like them. And though we weren’t supposed to, we started meeting up, and I think- I really liked them. I really, really liked them. But then I screwed up and-”

Keith took another deep breath, blinking rapidly. He couldn’t cry. Not now. “I screwed up and now we’ll never see each other again.”

A sympathetic expression formed on Pidge’s face and she shifted closer to hug Keith tightly. “I’m sorry you have to go through this, Keith.”

“I screwed up,” Keith said again. “I’m never going to see him again.”

Pidge pulled back to give Keith a strange look. “Him?”

Keith froze. He hadn’t meant to say that.

Pidge didn’t say anything for a couple of minutes. Then, she grinned. “Got something to tell me?”

Keith avoided eye contact, focusing his stare on the lamp post again. “I may or may not have a slight preference for guys.”

Pidge smirked. “Slight?”

Keith finally made eye contact with her, a reluctant smile forming on his lips. “Maybe not so slight.”

Pidge leapt to her feet, raising her fists in the air triumphantly. “I knew it!”

“What?” Keith asked, surprised.

Pidge sat down again and rolled her eyes. “It was pretty damn obvious, Keith. You spent the whole of grade eight talking about this one guy.”

“I didn’t like him, I hated him,” Keith protested.

“You spent fifty-six hours in total talking about how green his eyes were,” Pidge said.

“Maybe it was obvious,” Keith said, shrugging in mock casualness.

Pidge laughed.

“You’re not going to think of me differently, are you?” Keith asked.

Pidge turned serious. “I’ve known you for ten years, Keith. Nothing is going to change my opinion of you, unless I find out that you are secretly an alien-human hybrid. You know I’m always here for you.”

“Thank you,” Keith said.

“Now, let’s go get ice cream.”

-

Keith hit the punching bag again, ignoring the burning on his knuckles. He wasn’t doing it properly, but he didn’t care. He just wanted to release his energy and let out his anger, though he didn’t know what he was angry about. _Altea,_ he decided. He was mad at Altea. Though Lance always talked about Altea as if it were a land of dreams, Keith noticed the many flaws it had. And the way Lance described it, it sounded as if the government wasn’t doing anything to improve. Or perhaps there wasn’t a government. Lance had mentioned a queen, so Altea was probably a monarchy.

And clearly Altea was far from perfect; though Keith had never been there, he couldn’t help but resent it for its laws. It seemed as if Altea was against any types of love at all. Indeed, Lance had once said that most marriages were arranged out of convenience.

Keith drew in a shuddering breath and stretched his aching arms, wiping the sweat off his forehead before punching the bag again. It was all so unfair. Why was he the one that had to suffer because of Altea’s backward laws?

And the worst part was that Keith was almost a hundred percent sure that Lance liked him back. Just the memory of the destroyed look on Lance’s face when Keith told him they couldn’t do this was enough proof. For the first time, Keith actually had a chance with the guy he liked, but Altea’s stupid laws prevented it.

Keith gritted his teeth, punching harder than ever, throwing his whole body into the hits. His forehead was covered in sweat again, dripping into his eyes, and his hair was soaked. Keith let out a breath and stopped, his body shaking with exhaustion.

While waiting for himself to cool off, Keith did some stretches. His thin vest was wet with sweat but Keith didn’t want to take it off in the public gym. A few of the other guys were shirtless but their bodies were muscular and fit; Keith’s body was lean and while he couldn’t be considered scrawny he certainly wasn’t as ‘ripped’ as the other guys were.

“Hey, kid,” a voice said behind him. Keith turned to see a man he didn’t recognize. The man looked a few years older than him. “I don’t think you’re using that punching bag correctly.”

Keith scowled. “I don’t care.”

The man held his hands up. “No judgement here. I’m just saying that you could seriously hurt yourself if you continue like that. Look, your knuckles are bleeding.” The man pointed at Keith’s hands.

Keith’s knuckles were red and abused. However, the scowl didn’t leave his face. “It’s none of your business.”

The man frowned but walked away, muttering something under his breath. Keith turned back to the punching bag, but as he started again he burst into a coughing fit. It didn’t stop, and soon he fell to his knees, his legs too weak to hold him up. The floor was coated in wax and dust and it only made Keith’s coughing worse. He struggled to his feet and dragged himself to the bench, collapsing on it and trying to regain his breathing. After a few minutes, his coughs died away and his throat was left raw. His throat was coated with sandpaper.

Maybe he should just go home. He had been working out for hours without any breaks, and now his body was incredibly weak. He wouldn’t be able to drive like this, though. He reached out to grab his phone and dialed Shiro’s number.

“Shiro?” Keith’s voice was hoarser than he expected.

_“Hey, kid. Do you need something?”_

Just as Keith opened his mouth to speak, he was seized by another coughing fit. He was doubled over, trying to breathe as the coughs tore out of his throat. _“Could you-”_

“ _I’m coming to pick you up right now.”_ Shiro sounded adamant, and Keith was glad he understood what he was trying to say. Shiro hung up and Keith took a swig of water.

Keith was overcome with fatigue, but when Shiro called him to tell him that he should go to the main doors, he managed to haul himself to the main doors. As soon as Shiro caught sight of Keith, he rushed over to help Keith to the car.

“Look at you,” Shiro scolded, helping Keith get on the passenger’s seat. “This is the third time this week. You keep pushing yourself past your limits and it’s not healthy.”

“I’m getting fit,” Keith said faintly, tilting his head back and closing his eyes. He was so tired. “I’m not a kid, Shiro.”

“You might as well be.”

Keith was too tired to reply.

-

Keith was in his bed, and the room was illuminated by moonlight. Shiro had to go somewhere for work, and ordinarily Keith would have been thrilled at his absence, so he could see Lance for a little longer.

But he couldn’t see Lance anymore.

It had been weeks since Keith last saw Lance, and his absence was painful. There was an aching crater in Keith’s heart. He missed Lance.

Slowly, Keith reached under his pillow and brought out the ring Lance had given him. He put it on his finger and stared at it. The vibrant color of the sapphire was a stark contrast against Keith’s pale fingers. The ring was so beautiful, and there was something about it that Keith couldn’t explain. Just looking at it gave him an intangible feeling, a feeling he couldn’t describe. And though he couldn’t explain it, it felt right. He didn’t know whether it was the ring itself or the fact that Lance had given it to him.

He could still remember the feeling of Lance’s lips against his, Lance’s hands in his hair. The quiet sound of the waves against the shore, the pale moon bathing them in light. Lance had been so close to him that his flowery scent had been overpowering. Keith had loved it. He sighed at the memory, and then he squeezed his eyes shut. He couldn’t cry. He wouldn’t. Curled up underneath the blankets, no tears would come out of Keith’s eyes. The worst type of tears – the ones that wouldn’t come.

He missed Lance so much.


	4. Chapter 4

_Juliet, the dice was loaded from the start,_

_And I bet, then you exploded into my heart,_

_And I forget, I forget, the movie song,_

_When are you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong?_

“Keith, is that your pining playlist?” Shiro’s voice came from downstairs, loud and annoyed.

Keith didn’t reply, burying his face in his pillow. Once, Matt had described heartbreak as numbness. As the inability to feel anything anymore, because heartbreak was having your heart ripped out of your chest. Until now, Keith had disagreed. The first few days after he ruined everything, he could feel everything. Though Matt had said that heartbreak was like being left without a heart, Keith disagreed because he could feel his heart; a shattered, broken object in his chest. He could feel everything, and it was agony. Every memory was another knife cutting into him, leaving him bleeding to death in an empty bed.

But now, he realized that Matt was right. Keith didn’t feel anything. He was numb, empty. With every passing moment, the weight on him grew heavier. His soul was heavy.

Without any warning, Shiro burst into Keith’s room, holding two mugs of tea. He sat beside Keith on the bed and offered him a mug. Gratefully, Keith took the mug.

“Turn the volume down,” Shiro said. Keith obediently lowered the volume. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Keith said.

“Then-”

Keith exploded. “Listen, Shiro. Do you realize how much you’ve been acting like my dad rather than my brother? It’s driving me crazy. I can’t talk to you anymore because whenever I do, you just end up lecturing me. And you keep telling me what I can and can’t do, even though I’m a legal adult, and it’s incredibly frustrating.”

There was an awkward silence.

Shiro blinked. “I didn’t know you felt that way.”

Keith didn’t say anything.

“I’m sorry,” Shiro said. “You’re right. I don’t have a right to control you.”

“I understand if you’re worried about me, but you have to trust me,” Keith said. “Why can’t you trust me?”

“I’m sorry,” Shiro said again, saying it as soon as Keith finished his sentence. He looked visibly uncomfortable now.

Keith didn’t reply.                                                                                                                              

“I’m guessing you want to be alone right now,” Shiro said, and Keith could tell that it was hard for him to say it. Until now, he had always been there for Keith, always comforted him and always supported him, but this was something he couldn’t help Keith with. Though Keith wanted nothing more than to tell Shiro everything, to confess everything, he couldn’t tell him. Though Shiro was only 25, he assumed a lot of responsibility and it was against his nature to leave Keith alone when he was obviously upset.

But Shiro stood up and left the room. That was one of the best things about him. He was always willing to do what was right, no matter how hard it was for him.

Keith turned the volume up again.

_And I can't do a love song, like the way it's meant to be,_

_I can't do everything, but I'll do anything for you,_

_I can't do anything except be in love with you_.                     

-

It was the middle of the night, and Keith could hear it.

He hadn’t heard it in so long, but now the sound was filling his ears and he was getting out of bed, walking outside in a trance.

The ground was cold, so cold, and the water was even colder as he waded in, his pajama shorts useless in protecting him. He had no shirt and the cold was stinging his bare skin.

As the sea grew too deep for his feet to touch the ground, Keith still swam forward, a blissful look fixed on his face. As the familiar darkness fell over his vision and the taste of the salty water entered his mouth, Keith still struggled on, his arms too weak to propel him properly. But it didn’t matter that his body was screaming at him to stop because his mind was tranquil and he had to get to that voice. It sounded more beautiful than ever tonight, more beautiful than an angelic choir could ever hope to be.

And this time, as the water overcame him, it was peaceful.

But just as his eyelids slid shut, someone grabbed him.

He heard a loud hiss, and the beautiful voice was speaking. _Queen Hira will be displeased. Let him go._

Another voice replied, and this voice was familiar. Keith’s heart leaped at the sound of it. Lance.

Though Lance’s voice was normally playful and bright, now it was harsh and commanding. _Queen Hira doesn’t care for Galra. Leave. Now._

The first voice chuckled. It didn’t seem so beautiful now. Not when Lance was here. _You seem rather attached._

Lance’s voice was now sharper. _You assume too quickly. I protect all life._

The first voice laughed. _And it is nothing to do with the fact that he is attractive?_

Lance tightened his grasp on Keith, his fingers pressing into his skin. _I protect all life._

The first voice sighed deeply, but it sounded amused. _What a shame. I was truly hoping I could have him. I promise you I would have treated him well._

There was no reply, but Keith was suddenly aware that he was being dragged away. Well, dragged wasn’t the right word because he was gliding, cutting through the water easily. After a while he was pulled onto land, and the cold air was agony on his wet skin. Then, there was someone pressed against his side, putting their arms around him. Their body was warm and Keith automatically snuggled closer, seeking out more of the comforting warmth. 

He didn’t realize he fell asleep until the sun was shining in his eyes and his neck was uncomfortably stiff. Keith opened his eyes. In front of him was Lance. Lance was lying on his back, staring at the sky.

As he stared at Lance, Keith realized that he looked unhealthy. His skin was paler than it was the last time Keith saw him and the markings on his cheekbones were more pronounced, as his cheeks had hollowed out. His blue tail seemed bleached, the normally vibrant color washed out, and a lot of the scales had fallen out like fallen petals.

“You look really sick,” Keith said as he straightened his back and sat upright.

Lance turned his head to gaze at Keith, his expression carefully neutral. He sat up too, but kept a cautious distance away from Keith. “I’m alright. I’ve just been a little stressed.”

Keith couldn’t help but reach out to touch Lance’s tail. He expected Lance to pull away, but Lance just closed his eyes. His tail felt uneven, not quite smooth, and the scales were not as hard as he expected.

“Keith,” Lance said, his voice shaky, “Don’t. If you won’t- if you won’t.” he hesitated, and Keith understood what he meant. “Don’t touch me. I can’t handle it.”

Keith nodded and moved back, though he wanted to move closer. He wanted to apologize, tell Lance how he really felt about him, tell him it would be alright. Instead, he said, “You’re right.”

Lance looked at him, and Keith had to look away because of the raw emotion in Lance’s eyes.

“You have to stop looking at me like that,” Keith said, his voice thick.

“Like how?” Lance said flatly.

“Like you’re scared of me. Like I’m going to break you.”

Lance was silent. Then, he said **, “** You already broke me.”

Keith’s breath caught. “Lance, I-”

“Don’t. You’re right. This is how it has to be.”

Though Keith wanted nothing more than to be with Lance, he forced himself to imagine Lance imprisoned in a prison for a hundred years. This was for Lance’s safety, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t hard. Keith swallowed and said, “I don’t want to lose you.”

Lance turned to Keith, a weary look on his face. “I can’t understand you. You kiss me, then you tell me we can’t be together and now you’re telling me you don’t want to lose me? You’re sending a lot of mixed signals and I want you to stop toying with me. Just tell me-”

Lance broke down, bowing his head, his hair falling over his eyes and obscuring his face. “I can’t deal with all of this. So, please. Tell me what you want.”

“I want you,” Keith said.

Keith wanted to slap himself. Saying that had been a major overstep and he probably scared Lance off. Why did he always have to blurt out the first thing that came to mind? _I’m such an idiot._

“This is going to be hard,” Lance said finally, his voice casual, as if he was telling Keith a grocery list. Keith looked at him quizzically, confused by his sudden mood change. “All of this. You get what I mean.”

“I don’t, actually.”

“You haven’t even confessed to me properly,” Lance said, crossing his arms. “I’m supposed to throw away my life for you without even getting a proper confession?”

Keith rolled his eyes, but he stood up. “Go sit on that rock over there.”

Lance gave him a look. “Yeah, I’m going to walk over there with my totally existent legs.”

Keith bent down and took Lance into his arms, carrying him over to the rock and depositing him there.

“Give me a moment to make myself look pretty,” Lance said, arranging his tail beside him and running his hands through his hair. “Okay, you can start now.”

Keith stifled a laugh. Then, he straightened out his face and got down on one knee.

“I said a confession, not a proposal.”

“Shut up and let me talk,” Keith said.

“Wow, so romantic.”

Keith ignored him and tried to come up with the words to articulate what he was trying to convey. After a minute, he spoke.

“Okay. Lance. The first time we met you saved my life and when I opened my eyes and saw you, I forgot how to breathe. You were so beautiful- are. Not past tense. You _are_ beautiful, present tense, and I still sometimes forget to breathe whenever you laugh at a stupid joke I made or when you smile at me. And if it means I’ll be out of breath for the rest of my life, I would still choose to be with you. If there’s any chance of me being with you, I’ll always take that chance. If there is no chance and the world says that it can’t happen, then I’ll tell the world to fuck off because nothing and no one can keep me from you. Destiny, fate, none of that matters because I never feel as complete as I do when I’m with you, and I’ll force the world to change for us if it means I get to see you every day for the rest of my life. I promise I’ll always stay by your side, for as long as you’ll have me. For as long as you want me to.”

Lance’s face broke into a huge smile. “Are you going to get me off this rock so I can kiss you or what?”

Keith pretended to think. “Actually, I think I’m just going to leave you there.”

Lance gasped in mock offense. “And here I was thinking that you were in love with me.”

“I am,” Keith said.

Lance didn’t give Keith a chance to pick him up before he wrapped his arms around Keith and pulled him down to him, pressing their lips together. Instantly, all the pain and anguish Keith had gone through in the past weeks flew out of his head and all that remained was Lance. He clutched Lance tighter, almost lifting him off the rock, and closed his eyes, trying to memorize this feeling. This euphoric feeling that was rushing through him, stronger than anything he had felt before.

Then, Lance broke away and said, “Did you mean everything?”

It took a few seconds before Keith said, “Why wouldn’t I?”, his mind still dazed and stuck on the kiss.

Lance sighed. “I don’t know. It’s just- I never thought anyone would actually like me. I mean, I always thought I’d end up being the person who flirts with everyone and never gets into a real relationship, but…”

Keith blinked. “We really are having an emotion sharing fest, aren’t we?”

Lance laughed. “This is kind of ridiculous.”

Keith nodded and sat next to Lance on the rock. “We might as well get it all out. I never thought anyone would like me, either.”

“Wow,” Lance said. “We’re pretty screwed up.”

“I guess we are,” Keith said, smiling at him fondly. Then, he hesitated. “This is going to be hard.”

Lance smiled back at him and took his hand, squeezing it. “We’ll make this work.”

Keith leaned in to kiss him again.

-

Pidge clapped her hands in delight. “Really?”

Keith nodded, a light blush spreading over his cheeks. “Really.”

“I’m so happy for you!” Pidge exclaimed, nearly knocking over a chair as she leapt to her feet and crossed the room to where Keith was leaning against the counter. Keith had just told her about what happened yesterday. “When do I get to meet him?”

Keith was trying to work out how to operate the coffee machine, but he froze, his fingers tightening around the handle of the mug he was holding. “What?”

Pidge leaned over to pull the coffee machine towards herself, clicking a few buttons. The machine whirred to life but no coffee came out. Then, she leaned against the fridge and crossed her legs, giving Keith a skeptical look. “I am going to meet him, right?”

Keith cursed himself internally. Why didn’t he think of this? He should have realized that Pidge would want to meet Lance, and it obviously couldn’t happen.

He pulled the coffee machine toward himself, but Pidge tightened her grip on the machine.

“Well?” she said.

“Can I have the coffee machine?” Keith said, motioning towards the machine.

Pidge’s fingers loosened but she still didn’t let go of it. “Do you not want me to meet him?”

“Coffee, Pidgeon.”

Pidge pushed the machine towards him, almost knocking it off the table. “Keith. Look at me.”

Keith forced himself to look at her.

“I’m not going to force you to introduce us,” Pidge said, surprising Keith. “But you shouldn’t ignore me like this. Tell me you don’t want us to meet, and I’ll leave it.”

“I’m sorry,” Keith said, “It’s not like that. I-”

Pidge held up a finger. “You don’t need to explain. I’ve had my fair share of friends that I didn’t want to introduce to Matt.” She laughed shortly. “I guess in that new phase of the relationship, you kind of want to keep them to yourselves.”

Keith leapt on the excuse gratefully. “Thank you so much, Pidgeon. You always understand me.”

Pidge smiled wryly. “If not me, who else?” Then, she leaned over to press another button on the coffee machine. “You forgot to turn the coffee stream on.”

“I don’t get why you have such a complicated coffee machine,” Keith complained, putting his mug into the machine and waiting as the coffee poured into it.

“It’s healthier and more efficient,” Pidge said. “And also, I made it, so it’s basically my child. I named it Herbert.”

“Hi, Herbert.” Keith kneeled so he was at eye-level with the coffee machine. “I’m your buddy Keith.”

“Uncle Keith,” Pidge corrected.

“Uncle Keith,” Keith agreed, patting the machine. “Can I have my coffee now, Herbert?”

Pidge burst out laughing. “We’re so weird.”

“I think it’s perfectly normal to talk to my nephew,” Keith said, deadpan. Pidge laughed harder, nearly collapsing on the ground.

“Herbert appreciates it,” Pidge finally managed to say, which made Keith start laughing, which set Pidge off again. Eventually, they were both on the ground, their stomachs aching with laughter.

-

Today, Keith and Lance had met at the small island that had the strange cave. They chose it because it was more private and it had a cove that would hide them well, as the cove was sheltered by a wall of tall rock stacks. They could even swim without being seen, but since Keith didn’t like swimming Lance had dragged himself onto land again.

They lay together on the shore, close enough to the water that occasional waves washed over them, making sure that Lance wouldn’t get too dry. They were tangled together, their bodies entwined and their faces barely inches apart. They stayed in silence, listening to the peaceful sound of the waves and stealing lazy kisses from each other. Lance’s lips were pink and his hair was messy, his eyes sparkling as he gazed at Keith.

“You’re so pretty,” Keith murmured.

Lance smiled and touched the corner of Keith’s mouth, leaning in to kiss him. No matter how many times Keith kissed Lance, he never lost the feeling it gave him. Every time he kissed him, his mind went blank, filled with nothing but Lance and colors. Thousands of colors always exploded in his head, enough colors to paint a thousand paintings and fill a thousand worlds.

“Sometimes I wish I didn’t have a tail,” Lance said. Keith waited for him to explain.

Lance gestured downwards at his tail. “You know?” Keith still didn’t understand. Lance rolled his eyes. “You’re so oblivious, sweetheart.”

Keith’s heart leapt at the endearment. Then, he frowned. “Oblivious?”

“Keith. If I have a tail, what does that mean?” Lance said, as if explaining something to a small child.

“It means you have a tail?”

Exasperated, Lance sighed. “And if I have a tail, what does that mean I don’t have?”

“Legs?” Keith asked, still confused.

Lance nodded. “And if I don’t have legs, what else don’t I have?” 

Keith suddenly understood. He groaned. “Lance!”

“What?” Lance protested, but there was a mischievous glint in his eyes. “I’m just pointing out a fact.”

“That is a good point,” Keith said. “I can’t believe I’m dating a mermaid.”

“Neither can I,” Lance said. “I mean, that I’m dating a human. Not that you’re dating a human. But let’s not divert from the main point.”

“What do you expect me to do with that information. I’m not having kinky mermaid-” he blushed. “I’m not going to finish that sentence.”

Lance smirked. “Please finish that sentence.”

“What are Galra?” Keith asked. He had no idea how the question popped into his head, but the cave was right behind them and the question had come out without thinking.

Lance blinked. He wasn’t as used to Keith’s weird habit as Pidge was, and he was clearly caught by surprise. “Way to kill the mood.”

“We can get the mood back another time.”

“We can also talk about Galra another time,” Lance said.

“The mood’s already dead,” Keith pointed out.

“Fine.” Lance motioned for Keith to sit up, and Lance sat up too. “It’s a really long story.”

“I have time.”

“You’re so stubborn,” Lance said. “Fine.

“It all started thousands of years ago. More than 10,000 years ago. All underwater civilizations used to live together peacefully, different species in different oceans. And there were a team of merpeople called paladins that protected all underwater life, and they were called Voltron.”

“Voltron?” Keith said. “What’s that?”

“I’m explaining,” Lance said. “As I said, this team of 5 paladins were known as Voltron, Defender of the Oceans. The paladins all piloted these machines called ‘lions’, that were basically flying machines in the shape of lions. And they weren’t operated by normal electricity, they were operated by something called Quintessence. And Quintessence is where it all went wrong.”

Lance paused to glance around. “Each of the lions were a different color, and the black lion was piloted by King Zarkon of the Galra.

“One day, King Zarkon decided that he wanted to explore the Mariana trench. But the problem was that the Mariana trench is banned. No merperson is allowed in there, because it’s a huge danger zone. But King Zarkon wanted to enter it, which caused him to have a huge fight with King Alfor. And then-”

“Who’s King Alfor?” Keith interrupted. The name Alfor seemed familiar. He was pretty sure Alfor was Allura’s father’s name.  

“King Alfor was the previous king of Altea,” Lance said, looking wistful. “I wasn’t alive during his rule, but he was known as a good, kind, and compassionate leader.”

“Oh, okay.”

“So, Zarkon and Alfor had a huge argument which lead to Zarkon quitting Voltron. However, Zarkon took the black lion with him, and he illegally entered the Mariana trench. There, he found- You’re not going to tell any of this to anyone, are you?”

“Of course not,” Keith said immediately.

“Okay. He found something called Quintessence. By the way, the paladins didn’t know that the lions were operated by Quintessence until Zarkon went down there, which I guess is the only good that came of it. Anyway, he found a huge chasm that contained a rift that opened to alternate realities, operated by the Qu-”

“Wait,” Keith said. “Other realities exist?”

Lance nodded. “There are infinite realities stacked on top of each other, side by side, and-”

“Oh, God. I need a moment.”

“Keith?” Lance said anxiously. “Are you alright?”

“Until recently I didn’t even know that mermaids existed, and now…” he trailed off, taking deep breaths. “Okay, you can continue.”

“Maybe I shouldn’t,” Lance said, worried. “I don’t want to distress you.”

“I’m fine.”

“Okay, then. Essentially, Quintessence is a form of energy, and it’s the most powerful energy in existence.”

“What if there’s a reality where it isn’t the most powerful energy?” Keith asked.

Lance considered the question. “I don’t know, actually. They didn’t cover that in my history class.”

“Are you just parroting your history teacher to me?” Keith teased.

Lance grinned and leaned closer. “No. For you, I’ll say it in my own words.”

“Go ahead, then.”

Lance groaned. “Will you just let me flirt in peace for once?”

“Lance.”  

“Ugh, fine. So, Zarkon discovered a rift that would allow him to travel to other realities. And also, I forgot to mention that during this time period he married an Altean alchemist named Honerva. So, both of them suffered from something called Quintessence poisoning, from the prolonged exposure to it. And Zarkon went to the paladins and asked them to open the rift wider temporarily, so he could heal Honerva, who had become sick.

“And he promised that he would go to prison afterwards, as punishment for… well, obviously everything. So, because the paladins were good people, they agreed and they formed Voltron to open the rift further.”

“Wait, how can they form Voltron? Aren’t they Voltron?” Keith asked.

“The lions can fuse together to form a huge robot,” Lance said. “Which is also named Voltron. It’s kind of complicated.

“Anyway, the rift was opened wider, and Zarkon revealed that he tricked them. Well, he did use it to heal Honerva, but he also made it wider so he could pass through. However, both he and Honerva were killed as a result of the overexposure to Quintessence. Later, it turned out that they both survived, and Zarkon wanted revenge on Alfor and the other paladins for not supporting him. So, that started a war that lasted for over 10,000 years.”

“That’s horrible.”  

“It was,” Lance agreed. “And the original paladins weren’t around to save the universe from the Galra Empire, because Zarkon had killed them all. But after many, many years the Galra Empire was brought down by a secret organization of Galra rebel fighters named the Blade of Marmora. And obviously they had support from hundreds of other civilizations, but they were the main ones who did it.”

“Wow,” Keith said.

“Yeah,” Lance said.

“That doesn’t really answer my question, though.”  

Lance groaned. “I just explained that for nothing? Oh, come on! Galra are a species of siren. That’s why that voice you heard was pulling you in. It was a siren.”

Realization dawned on Keith. “Oh.”

It all made sense now. The strange sensation he felt, the haziness in his mind, the overwhelming urge to get to that voice – the voice was a siren. Somehow, the realization was underwhelming.

“Do I deserve a kiss for explaining all that?” Lance asked hopefully.

Keith laughed and kissed him. 

-

Three weeks had passed since Keith and Lance made up, and Keith had never been happier. Though he knew that their relationship was illegal, and it could get both of them in huge trouble, he couldn’t bring himself to care. He was with Lance, and that was all that mattered.

“What are you thinking about?” Lance asked, leaning closer to hear Keith’s reply.

They were on the beach behind Keith’s house again. It was night, and the air was still. No sound could be heard except for their breathing and the waves behind them.

“I wish I could see you during the day,” Keith said. More than ever, he wished Lance was human, so he would be able to see Lance whenever he wanted, spend as much time with him as he wanted. He wished they could go out to parks, coffeeshops, museums, every single beautiful place Keith had ever seen and wanted to show Lance.

But when Keith considered again, this was enough for now. These stolen moments in the dead of the night, secret meetings on secret islands, they were enough for now. Yes, Keith still wanted more, but he would be happy with anything as long as it meant he could see Lance and be with him.

“Me too,” Lance said, his voice quiet. He looked a lot healthier now, and his tail was back to its original bright blue.

“Do your scales drop off when you’re stressed?” Keith asked, remembering that Lance had mentioned his stress.

“Only if I’m very stressed,” Lance said, “Kind of like how humans’ hair drops out when they’re stressed. Except both my hair and my scales get affected, so I end up hairless and scale-less.” He laughed shortly. “I try to avoid stress as much as possible.”

“I’m sorry it was my fault,” Keith said, pushing the memory of the painful weeks without Lance out of his head.

“It wasn’t your fault. You did what you thought was right.”  

“Is that code for I was an idiot?”

“You were,” Lance said. He leaned closer. “You’re going to have to work really hard to make it up to me.”

Keith smirked. “Am I?”

_“Yes.”_

Keith touched the markings on Lance’s cheeks, and his cheeks turned pink, making the turquoise markings stand out more. His fingers trailed down to rest on Lance’s collarbone. It was an extraordinarily intimate gesture. “And what would you suggest?”

“Your choice,” Lance breathed, and then they were kissing, together under the endless skies and stars, clutching each other with a fervent desperation. Keith’s nerves were set alight and fire was burning through his veins. But it didn’t hurt, not when it was Lance’s arms he was held in, when it was Lance’s lips against his, when it was Lance’s hands slipping beneath his shirt to rest on his hips. Keith had never felt so alive.

-

"How is Altea?" Keith asked. "Anything new happening?"

Lance nodded excitedly. "Actually, the RSSD has been running some tests on some samples of Quintessence that they extracted from a new species of jellyfish and they found out a lot of new things that can completely change the world. It's a clean energy source used in moderation and is extremely powerful, and there's rumors that they're planning on legalizing Quintessence."

Lance was talking rapidly and Keith found it hard to keep up. "What’s the RSSD?"

"The Royal Sector of Scientific Development," Lance said. "Sorry, sometimes I forget you're not from Altea. It's the official royal sector for developing new technologies and innovations."

Keith raised an eyebrow. "You sound like you're reading from a book."

"That is actually their official slogan," Lance admitted. "Developing new technologies and innovations. They have it written everywhere."

Keith laughed. Then, he said, “I thought Quintessence was illegal.”

Lance shrugged. "The laws don't apply to the government."

"What is the government?”

"It's a monarchy," Lance said. “The first born of the current leader will become ruler next, whether they're a boy or a girl."

"And you have a queen right now, right?"                                         

Lance looked confused and a little suspicious. "How do you know that?"

"You mentioned a queen once, and when you were talking with that siren you mentioned Queen H-"

Lance clasped his hand over Keith's mouth, panicked. "Don't say her name!"

"Why not?" Keith mumbled. Lance took his hand off Keith's mouth.

"Names have power," Lance said, hushed. 

"That's such a cliché.”  

"But it's true," Lance insisted. He put his hand on Keith's shoulder. "Let's not talk about her, okay?"

"Okay," Keith said, thinking that he would get Lance to explain another time. "What did your scientists discover about Quintessence?"

"It's really interesting, actually," Lance said, brightening. "They found out that all living beings have some quantity of Quintessence in them, and that Quintessence can be extracted." His expression darkened. "I wonder how they found that out."

Keith nodded silently, waiting for Lance to say more. 

"And they found out that Quintessence can be treated and changed to be able to accomplish different things," Lance continued. "The most recent test subject they found was a recently discovered species of jellyfish and the Quintessence extracted from it was green. Until now, the only Quintessence they found was yellow, which turned out to be the raw form of it. So, now they're working on treating the Quintessence to infuse it with Altean magic."

"That's really interesting," Keith said. 

"It is, but can we talk about this another time?" Lance asked. "I've been talking about it all day and I want to spend time with you now. I feel like I’m being interviewed.”

"Sorry for asking so many questions." Keith smiled innocently. “I can’t help it. You look so cute when you're explaining something."

Lance was indignant. "You made me explain all that just because I looked cute?"

"Maybe."

Lance huffed, but he couldn’t help but smile. “I’m not telling you anything anymore.”

“What a tragedy,” Keith said dryly. 

“You’re the worst,” Lance complained.

“Nah,” Keith teased, “You love me.”

“I have no idea why I do.”

“It’s probably because of my dashing good looks,” Keith said, his heart fluttering at the implication that Lance loved him. But that shouldn’t be surprising. Lance was risking everything for Keith. If that wasn’t love, what was?

Lance hummed. “Maybe. It could also be your personality. Just a thought.”

“Aw, you like me for my personality?”

“I know, I was surprised too,” Lance said.

Keith laughed.

-

“I have great news!”

“Again?” Keith asked as he sat down, thinking about how hard it would be to wash the sand out of his jeans.

“I can take you to Altea!” Lance exclaimed before glancing around, realizing he might have said it too loud. Luckily, no one else was around.

Keith froze. “What?” 

“You can come to Altea,” Lance said again, his cheeks pink with excitement.

“But I can’t breathe in water.”  

Lance gave him a look. “I figured out a way to get it to work. Today they announced that Quintessence is officially being legalized. The only catch is that you need a license to use it, but the good news is that my school has a license, and students are allowed to use it as well.” Lance paused to breathe. “I can get some, and we can use it to let you breathe underwater.”

Keith couldn’t believe it. “Really? How does that work?”

“So, you know how Quintessence is incredibly powerful? I don’t know how it works, exactly, but my buddy Hunk told me that it can allow people to breathe underwater. And,” Lance added, “I have a cloaking device that can make you look like us.”

“Wow,” Keith breathed in amazement. Whenever he listened to Lance talking about Altea as if it were the most beautiful place on the planet, he had always longed to see it. He had thought that he would never be able to see it, but now Lance was telling him he could.

“Do you want to go with me?” Lance asked, suddenly nervous, like a teenager asking out their crush on a date. “We can- I can show you around and then we can go to a café or something.”

“That sounds amazing,” Keith said.

Lance beamed, clearly relieved. “Great! When do you want to go?”

Keith thought for a moment. “Shiro is going on a business trip next week. Maybe then, because I can be there all day. Oh, but you have school.”

“You can come to school with me,” Lance suggested. “I’ll tell them you’re my cousin.”

Keith raised an eyebrow. “Your cousin?”

Lance laughed. “Okay, maybe not my cousin. How about… my boyfriend?”

“Isn’t it illegal?” Keith asked.

Lance physically facepalmed, having forgotten about that. “Maybe we should go with the cousin thing.”

Keith sighed.

“But, Keith-” Lance blushed. “When it’s just us, you can be… we can be…”

 “Alright.” He smiled softly, taking Lance’s hand in his. “Your boyfriend. Slash cousin.”

They stared at each other, and burst out laughing.

Next week couldn’t come fast enough.


	5. Chapter 5

“Hey, kid. You’ll be alright without me, right?”

Keith rolled his eyes and gave Shiro an exasperated smile. “I’ll be fine.”  

Shiro laughed and clapped Keith on the shoulder. “I know you will. Don’t eat raw spaghetti, okay? It’s really bad for your digestive system.”

“I only did that once,” Keith protested.

Shiro looked at him skeptically. “You always eat raw spaghetti whenever I’m not here and it’s really weird.”

“Don’t tell me how to live my life!”

Shiro stifled a laugh. “Sure, buddy. Take care.”

They were at the airport, and they had reached the point where Keith couldn’t go any further with him. Shiro hugged Keith, and walked through the gates. Keith waited until Shiro was out of sight, and then turned back to go to his car.

On the ride back home, Keith couldn’t stop thinking about how he was about to see Altea. It was afternoon now, and tomorrow morning Lance was going to take Keith with him to Altea. First, they would go to Lance’s school for his morning classes, then Lance would show Keith around the city. Keith couldn’t wait to see the reefs Lance had described, the statues made of polished quartz, the underwater flowers dotted around on the wide streets, the houses surrounded by fronds of seagrass, the vast fields of algae.

BEEP. Keith took his foot off the accelerator as the warning alarm beeped, realizing that he was going too fast. He needed to stop getting lost in his thoughts before he got in an accident.

He leaned over and turned on the radio. It opened to the country music channel. 

_I’m going to start a fire,_

_You’re going to feel the heat,_

_I’m going to burn for you,_

_You’re going to melt for me._

“Obsessive,” Keith muttered to himself, even though he loved this song. Though in front of Shiro he always pretended he didn’t like country music, he secretly loved it. He supposed it might be something to do with the fact that his biological father was Southern and used to play the guitar all the time. That was all he knew about his father and he only knew it because a few years ago, he had found a few pages ripped out of his father’s diary. He didn’t know anything about his mother.

As he pressed the brake pedal at the red light, Keith’s thoughts wandered back to Altea. What were the houses there like? Were they small and cozy or large and modern? What were the streets like? Did they have cars, or did they swim everywhere?

Then, Keith’s phone started ringing. Keeping one hand on the steering wheel, he picked up the phone and answered it. “Hello?”

“ _Hey, cadet. Shiro’s out of town, right?”_ It was Pidge.

“Yeah,” Keith said.

“ _Do you wanna do something together? There’s this cool new museum over by 5 th street and I want to check it out.”_

 _“_ Sounds good,” Keith said, nodding though he knew Pidge couldn’t see him.

“ _Are you free tomorrow morning at 9?”_

 _“_ I’m actually busy,” Keith said. He was going to meet Lance at 8. “What about Wednesday?”

Pidge’s voice was incredulous when she said, _“Am I hearing correctly? Keith Kogane, the famous anti-social turtle-human hybrid, is actually going out? Oh, don’t tell me. You’re meeting your boy?”_

 _“_ He’s not my boy,” Keith said, flushing. He was thankful Pidge wasn’t here to see.

_“Uh huh, yeah. I believe you. Wednesday, then. Wait, what day is it today?”_

_“_ Sunday,” Keith replied. “I’m free on Wednesday. What time should we meet?”

 _“Can you pick me up from my house at 12_?” Pidge asked. “ _Matt’s car is in the repair shop so he won’t be able to drive me.”_

 _“_ Yeah, of course,” Keith said easily. “I’ll see you, then.”

 _“See you.”_ She hung up first, and Keith tossed his phone on the passenger seat, wincing as it landed screen first. He really needed to be more careful with it.

As he neared the coast his house was on, the traffic lessened and he was able to drive quicker. Just the other day, there had been another report of a drowning. Well, it was allegedly a drowning, but now Keith suspected that it was the Galra that were killing all those humans.

He parked his car in the driveway and then walked inside his house, dropping his keys on the table beside the door and kicking off his shoes. Pulling off his jacket, he sat down on the sofa and stretched, letting out a yawn. Then, he stood up and went to the kitchen, rummaging in the drawers for the packet of cookies that he knew Shiro had bought yesterday. He smiled to himself as he pulled out the bag of cookies. Shiro’s secret stash. As he went to his room and sat at his desk, he opened the bag and took out a cookie. When he finished the cookie, he turned on his computer and opened Google.

 _GalaxyGarrisonUS.gov._ When the website loaded, he clicked on the admissions page and started reading.

-

Lance poked his head out of the water and glanced around before gesturing for Keith to get into the water.

“Hey, sweetheart,” Lance said. “Why aren’t you wearing a swimsuit?”

“I am. I’m wearing a shirt on top for now.”

“Take it off, then.” Lance grinned, reaching up to tug on the shirt lightly. Keith rolled his eyes and grabbed the hem of his shirt, pulling it off and shaking his hair out. “I would comment on the fact that that was needlessly erotic, but I’m currently distracted by the fact that you still have that terrible haircut.”

“It’s not terrible,” Keith protested. “It’s extremely stylish. You don’t understand human culture.”

Lance gave him a dry look. “Yeah, right.”

“Are you ready?” Keith asked, changing the subject. They were wasting their time, staying here and arguing.

“Yep,” Lance said as Keith waded into the water. Thankfully, the water was warm. “I left it on the sand there, could you go get it?”

Keith picked up the bottle and the small device Lance had left on the shore and got back into the water, sinking down so only his head was above the surface. He handed them to Lance.

Lance looked at the device uncertainly. “I tried to get a cloaking device, but Hunk said this would be better. Apparently, this thing uses Quintessence and actually changes your legs into a tail rather than just making them look like a tail. I’m not sure exactly how to use this but how hard can it be, right? And Hunk said it was really easy, you just attach it to the person and click this button.”

Lance pointed to a red button on the device. Keith winced. This didn’t sound very safe.

“Wait, no,” Lance exclaimed, shaking his head. “You don’t attach it to the person, you scan the person with it. Yeah, that’s it. So, I just hold down the button, and... yeah. You’d better get back on the shore so I can scan you.”

Keith lay down on the shore and Lance moved closer.

“Talk about needlessly erotic,” Keith joked as Lance pressed the button and experimentally scanned Keith’s arm. Nothing happened.

“Maybe it’s because merpeople have human arms,” Lance said doubtfully, looking down at the device. “I’ll try your legs.” Lance pressed the button again and ran the device’s wide laser beam over Keith’s legs. Immediately, Keith’s legs started burning and he gasped in pain. It felt like all his bones were being broken and melded back together and his skin was reforming to form deep red scales. His muscles were stretching and it felt as if they were going to rip apart, while the burning was only getting worse.

Then, it stopped. Keith sighed in relief and rolled over, letting out a groan.

“Keith?” Lance said, anxiously. “Did I kill you?”

“I’m fine,” Keith managed to say, taking deep breaths. The pain had faded away, and now he was staring at his new tail. It was a strange sensation, not being able to move two legs separately.

“That’s such a pretty tail,” Lance said in admiration, reaching out to run his hands along Keith’s tail. Keith’s eyes rolled back in his head at the sensation and Lance moved back, already blushing. “Oh. I forgot about that reaction.”

“What kind of weird shit do mermaids get turned on by?” Keith said, his voice slightly higher. He definitely didn’t expect his tail to be this sensitive.

Lance grinned. “You’re about to find out, baby.”

Keith groaned. “That was so cheesy.”

“I know,” Lance said, laughing. Then, he looked back at Keith’s tail. “Red, huh. I like it. Red and blue.”

“Red and blue,” Keith confirmed. “We’re compatible.”

Lance smiled. “I already knew that.” Then, he leaned over to kiss Keith’s cheek and run his hand down Keith’s tail again. Keith couldn’t help but let out a soft moan. The tail must have been full of nerves because every touch was an explosion of sensations. “Feel nice?”

“Stop that,” Keith said, his cheeks as red as his tail, “we’re in a public place.”

“Maybe you should come back to my place later,” Lance suggested, his voice sultry and his hand still on Keith’s tail.

“That gets into a weird level of kinkiness,” Keith said, clearing his throat, “that I am not prepared for.”

Lance laughed and moved away, splashing Keith with water. “Come on, then. Let’s go.”

However, Keith put out a hand to stop him, who gave him a quizzical look. “What about the markings?” Lance looked confused, so Keith tapped Lance’s cheek softly, right on his cheekbone markings.

“Oh!” Lance touched his own cheek. “The Altean markings. Well, I’ll tell them you’re from somewhere else.”

“Where?”

Lance looked Keith over. “Tell them you don’t want to say where you’re from. Play it off as a joke, you know? Like, ‘oh, sorry, I can’t tell strangers’. Otherwise they’ll ask you all sorts of stuff about your home kingdom and you won’t be able to answer. Alteans are pretty damn curious, you know.”

“Okay,” Keith said, biting his lip.

“Let’s go,” Lance said, giving Keith a quick kiss. “I want to show you Altea. Wait, I forgot - you can’t breathe underwater.” He held up the bottle he was still holding. “Lab treated Quintessence, one hundred percent consumable, and ninety percent guaranteed to be safe.”

Keith looked at the bottle. Inside it, there was a glowing blue substance. “Ninety percent?”

“Don’t worry, I’d never give you anything that could hurt you,” Lance said sincerely. Slowly, Keith nodded. Lance opened the cap of the bottle. “Alright, drink this.” He held it out to Keith. “All of it. Take it like a shot.”  

Keith hesitated, then took the bottle. He took a deep breath and tipped the bottle back, swallowing it all in one gulp. Nothing happened. “Uh, was something supposed to happen?”

Lance shook his head. “The only way to test it is to try breathing underwater. Stick your head underwater and try breathing. The worst that can happen is that you’ll choke on a little water.”

Keith allowed Lance to drag him back into the water. Swimming was so much easier with a tail, even though Keith wasn’t a bad swimmer with two legs. It was almost enjoyable, feeling the warm water against his skin like silk, the water parting easily as he cut through it. And now it was time to test if Keith could breathe. Keith pushed himself downwards so he was sitting on the seabed, only a meter below the surface. Keith held his breath until he couldn’t hold it anymore, then let it go, his heart hammering in his chest.

But nothing happened. He could breathe. And when he opened his mouth, he found that he could speak normally.

“Lance?”

Lance was by his side in an instant. “Yeah?”

“I can breathe,” Keith said in awe. “And talk!”

Lance looked amused. “You sure can, honey.”

Underwater, Keith could see everything perfectly. The fish flitting past them, unconcerned, the sand flowing along the seabed, the patterns the sun cast across the surface of the sea. In his natural habitat, Lance was more comfortable, more relaxed, and he looked healthier when he wasn’t trying to survive on dry land. His Altean markings looked magical and perfectly matched the turquoise of the sea around them.

“Are you staring at me?” Lance asked lightly, a smile playing at the corners of his lips.

Keith blushed. “No.”

“I think you were,” Lance teased.

“Let’s go,” Keith insisted, his cheeks bright scarlet. “Which way?”

Lance, still smirking, motioned for Keith to follow him. They moved quickly through the water as the depth steadily increased and the surroundings grew darker. Here, there were less fish and seagrass grew everywhere, covering the seabed beneath them. The water was also colder, and it only grew darker.

Suddenly, the seabed disappeared and there was nothing under them. Keith looked at Lance, anxious.

“We just passed the continental shelf,” Lance explained, “and now we’re in the open sea. Don’t worry, it will get lighter. It’s only this place that is dark.”

There was nothing but darkness beneath them, and Keith couldn’t help but feel scared. He couldn’t stop imagining the creatures that might be lurking in the depths – there might be sirens down there, waiting for a human to pass by so they could catch them. Every time his tail brushed against the waving seagrass Keith’s heart stopped, and every time a fish swam by Keith let out a quiet gasp of fear instinctively. The fish were now larger, and Keith was sure he saw a shark pass by a while ago. Keith hadn’t expected the journey to Altea to take so long and he shuddered to imagine Lance taking this journey alone every day during the night. It was daytime now, yet the water was pitch black – what was it like during the night?

Keith felt a surge of love for Lance. Lance went through this horrible journey every day just to see Keith, and he went alone, without anyone by his side. Not only that, but Lance was taking a huge risk – he could get into huge trouble for talking to a human, let alone dating one, and yet he still did it. Another shark swam past. Lance didn’t look fazed, but Keith was now terrified. He reached out to take Lance’s hand but he couldn’t find it in the dark.

“Are you scared?” Lance asked, his tone teasing.

“Yes,” Keith said, his voice barely audible. The confession was embarrassing, but he didn’t really care. Lance glanced sideways to give Keith a sympathetic look and took Keith’s hand. Keith clutched his hand tightly, tight enough that he was sure it was hurting him.

“Don’t be scared, love,” Lance murmured. “I’ll protect you.” Keith didn’t say anything else, and they continued swimming through the depths.

“Is it much further?” Keith asked after another five minutes. Now, it was too dark to see anything at all and he had to rely on Lance to guide him. They were still holding hands. He wished there was something that could have turned him into a real mermaid temporarily so he could have better underwater vision but Lance hadn’t offered and Keith assumed it would have been excruciating anyway.

This part of the sea reminded him of black holes – endless, void, sucking all light and killing all life. In fact, he almost would have preferred travelling through a black hole in a spaceship. If he were in a spaceship, at least there would be walls around him to protect him, artificial lights to create some light. Here, there was nothing except him and Lance, their hands entwined and their bodies close together. Keith had never felt so vulnerable – there was nothing to protect him here. No armor, no walls, no weapons – just him and Lance. Just them against this cruel, dark world. 

Keith turned to look at him, but it was too dark to see his face. Keith gripped his hand tighter. If it hurt Lance, he didn’t say anything. “Is it much further?”

“Only a little.” It seemed this part of the sea absorbed their voices, taking out all emotion until there was nothing left but fear and numbness. Even Lance, who must have taken this journey so many times, seemed scared.

“Do you do this all the time?” Keith’s voice was small.

“Yes.”

“For me?”

“No, for the president of the United States. God bless America.”

Keith snorted. They continued on, and he began to wonder if Lance could actually see. It was so dark that when Keith held his hand in front of his face, he couldn’t see it. It was so dark that he couldn’t remember what light was like and it felt like light didn’t exist anymore.

Lance stopped swimming, and stopped Keith too. He muttered something under his breath. There was a loud snapping noise.

Then, a blinding white filled Keith’s eyes. It was as if a knife had been thrust into Keith’s eyes – they were in agony.

Keith let go of Lance and covered his eyes with his hands. The comforting blackness covered his eyes again, but his eyes still hurt. He drew a shuddering gasp. So much light after so much darkness was excruciating to his eyes – he hoped he hadn’t gone blind.

Lance was already apologizing, his voice horrified and guilty. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize that you needed time to adjust to the light, I just-”

Keith cut him off. “It’s fine. I just need a moment.” He now had a splitting headache.

After a moment, he took his hands off his eyes, and squinted ahead of him, keeping his eyes half closed.

There was a portal there, spiraling outwards and swirling with a substance Keith had never seen before. It looked like a hybrid of gases, liquids, and solids and it was a powerful shade of blue. The longer Keith stared at it, the more shades appeared – azure, lapis, navy, turquoise, and a hundred other hues of blue and purple. It was emitting a strong, powerful energy Keith’s body suddenly turned to jelly and he was weak. He could feel vibrations all over his body.

“We have to go through.”

Keith stared at Lance in disbelief. “We have to go through that?”

Lance nodded, his expression conflicted. “You’ve already come this far.”

Keith hesitated and Lance looked at him sympathetically. Going through the portal was a scary idea – having to be surrounded by all that raw energy and emerging in a place he didn’t know at all. And now that Keith thought about it, everything about this was a horrible idea. Going to Altea. If anyone found out that Keith wasn’t actually a human… But looking at Lance’s hopeful face, Keith was reminded of why he wanted to go so badly. This was Lance’s home, and Keith wanted to see it. He wanted to see everything Lance had told him about. 

“Okay,” Keith said finally.

“We’ll just swim through,” Lance said. “It’s really easy. Trust me.”

“I trust you.”

Lance smiled. “Good.”

“That sounds ominous.”

“Are you stalling?”

“Only a little.”

Lance laughed and squeezed Keith’s shoulder. “It’s fine. I promise, nothing bad will happen to you.”

“Good to know,” Keith muttered, but he let Lance lead him closer to the portal. When they were close enough that the swirling blue filled his vision, he closed his eyes. A shock wave was sent through his body, vibrating through his bones and sending major crackles over his skin.

Then, it was over.

Keith opened his eyes.

The first thing that he noticed was that this place was full of light – the water was a bright aquamarine, and wherever Keith looked he could see sunlight dancing across the roofs. They were standing on top of a tall mountain, and Keith could see everything. He could see the houses made of a smooth white stone he didn’t recognize arranged in rows, with small gardens and garden decorations. There were plants everywhere, in every color imaginable. Anemones with clownfish darting in and out of them, hydrillas with thin and narrow leaves, rocks covered in moss and walls covered in algae. Brilliant colors, every shade of the rainbow, bright and vibrant.

In the far distance, Keith could see an enormous castle, towering above all other structures. It was tall enough that it nearly touched the surface, and it was made of quartz, clean and white. It had towers and spires all around it, and windows of stained glass. Patrolling it were a number of merpeople, who must be guards, wearing blue uniforms with black tails. And there were merpeople everywhere, with flowing hair and brightly colored tails. Some tails were even patterned, with images imprinted on them. He didn’t know mermaids could get tattoos.  

“So, how is it?” Lance asked.

“It’s amazing,” Keith said.

Keith moved to kiss Lance but he stopped himself just in time, remembering that it wasn’t allowed in Altea. Instead, he awkwardly patted Lance’s shoulder. “Uh, yeah. We’re- we’re friends, right?”

Lance stiffened, clearly understanding what Keith was trying to convey. “Yeah. Friends. Friendship hug?”

Keith was confused but he allowed Lance to wrap his arms around him.

Into his ear, Lance whispered, “Good save. We’ll have to remember that.”

“I’ll be careful,” Keith whispered back as Lance pulled away. He refused to pretend to be Lance’s cousin. That would be too weird.

“Come on,” Lance said, his face breaking into a smile. “We have to go to school. We’ll have to go by Teladuv again, though.”

“What is Teladuv?” Keith asked as he followed Lance down the mountain and onto the streets.

“It’s the technical name for a wormhole,” Lance said. “I think. That’s what we were taught, anyway.”

“Wormholes don’t exist.”  

Lance gave him a look. “You just went through one. I usually go to school by Teladuv, because the Garrison is actually really far from here. I have one in my house.”

Keith stopped. “Garrison?”

Lance stopped too, and turned to look at him. “Yeah. My school is called the Garrison. The Terra Garrison. Didn’t I mention that?”

“The school I’m planning to go to is called the Garrison too,” Keith said. “Except my school is called the Galaxy Garrison.”

“Can we talk about this later? I’m going to be late if we don’t leave now.”

“Sorry,” Keith said as they started swimming again. “I didn’t mean to make you late.”

“It’s fine.” Lance jerked his head towards a house in front of them. “This is my place. I’ll show you around it later, alright? We really need to leave now.” They went inside and Lance rushed to an empty wall on the opposite end of the room. He flicked a switch on the wall, and a portal appeared. Now that Keith knew what the portal was like, he wasn’t scared, and they entered it. The onslaught of energy waves weren’t so bad this time and when Keith opened his eyes again they were standing in front of a huge building.

A huge building exactly identical to the Galaxy Garrison.

Lance didn’t give Keith a chance to say anything before he was dragging him inside and through the grey corridors.

All exactly identical to the Galaxy Garrison.

Keith had been inside the Galaxy Garrison a few times when he was picking Matt and Shiro up, as they had both graduated from there, and everything here was exactly identical to it. They burst into a classroom.

“Sorry I’m late,” Lance said, his gaze darting around the classroom at the other cadets. The instructor stopped talking and turned to Lance, narrowing his eyes.

“Who is this?”

Lance glanced at Keith. “Sir, this is my friend Kogane. He can join us for today, right?” It took Keith a second to realize that Lance had introduced him by his surname. It must be a thing in Altea.  

The instructor crossed his arms, glaring at Keith. “Did he get cleared by security?”

They both froze and glanced at each other. Security?

“Uh, yeah,” Lance said quickly. They had been in such a rush that Lance had forgotten to check in with security. “They cleared him.”

When the instructor still looked doubtful, Lance added, “His father is military.”

The instructor hmphed but gestured for them to sit down. There was an empty seat beside Lance’s so Keith sat there, shifting uncomfortably. The whole class was staring at them.

“Alright, class.” The instructor turned back to the board and pointed at an equation written on the board. “Since you all know how to use this equation, we will move on to the simulations. Get up.”

There was no noise as all the students stood up and followed the instructor out of the room and down another corridor. Keith shot a nervous glance at Lance, but Lance didn’t say anything. The instructor led them into a large room where another man was waiting and left. The man had an ebony black tail.

“Straighten up,” the man barked. Everyone obeyed. There was a quiet whisper.

“I want silence. Everyone will listen carefully to what I say, and do exactly as I say. Understood?”

Silently, everyone nodded.

“Your previous instructor had to leave the school, so I am taking over. You will address me as Commander Hedrick.”

The man stood straight and his arms were pressed tightly against his sides. Privately, Keith thought he looked like a plank of wood. Or maybe a tree trunk because he was so tall and strong.

“Cadet!” The man was glaring at Keith. “Are you standing around daydreaming?”

Keith cleared his throat. His instincts were prompting him to talk back but that might get Lance into trouble. “No, sir.”

“I expect you all to be fully alert at all time,” Commander Hedrick ordered. “Get into your groups. Now.”

Everyone scurried to get into groups of three. Keith stood still, having no idea where to go. Lance was already in a group with two other people.

Commander Hedrick marched over to Keith. “Why aren’t you in a group.” It wasn’t a question.

“I’m not a student here, sir. I’m just here for today,” Keith managed to stutter out. Ordinarily, he wouldn’t be scared but the Commander was staring at him in a way that made him wonder if he knew Keith was human.

“I see.” The commander looked at the other end of the room. “Martinez, you’re out for today.”

A boy that must have been Martinez sulkily swam over to stand by the wall.

Commander Hedrick looked back at Keith. “Your name.”

“Keith Kogane.”  

“Get into that group.” Commander Hedrick pointed at the group Martinez just left. “McClain, Garrett, Stroker – you’re up first.”

Lance and his group moved to get inside the simulator. The simulator was huge and looked like the ones at the Galaxy Garrison – it was probably a flight simulator. Keith wondered if he would get to try it. As the simulation took place, Keith could hear Lance and his teammates arguing the whole time. Keith stifled a laugh. They were yelling at each other and Lance wasn’t listening to either of them. It sounded as if the simulation was disastrous. This must have been what Lance meant when he said he wasn’t a very good pilot.

 _“They call me the tailor cause of how I thread the needle!”_ Lance’s voice came from inside the simulator, and Keith had to work hard not to burst out laughing. He remembered when Lance had first told him that. Luckily, the simulation was soon over, and the trio swam out, disgruntled.

“Nice work, tailor,” the shortest boy muttered, stomping off to join the other cadets.

“Get back here, Stroker,” Commander Hedrick ordered. The boy, Stroker, swam back over to stand beside Lance and the other boy. “Right, can anyone tell me what these three so-called cadets were doing wrong?”

“The engineer puked in the main gearbox,” one student called out. The boy standing beside Lance looked at the ground, abashed.

Commander Hedrick turned to the boy standing beside Lance. “Yes. As everyone knows, vomit is not an approved lubricant for engine systems. What else?”

“The comm spec removed his safety harness,” another student pointed out. Commander Hedrick glared at Stroker.

“The pilot crashed!” a different student yelled.

“Correct. And worst of all, the whole jump, they’re arguing with each other. Heck, if you’re going to be this bad individually, you’d better at least be able to work as a team!” Commander Hedrick turned back to the team, his hands balled in fists.

“The Terra Garrison exists to turn young cadets like you into the next generation of elite Terraexplorers, but these kinds of mental mistakes are exactly what causes you to crash and jeopardize your missions.”

Lance couldn’t hold his tongue anymore. “It wasn’t like we did it on purpose.”

“I hope I don’t need to remind you that the only reason you’re here is because the best pilot in your class had a discipline issue and flunked out,” Commander Hedrick said blatantly. There were a few quiet snickers from the other cadets.

Lance looked down at the ground, clearly hurt. Keith wanted to defend him, but it would just make the situation worse.

“Next,” Commander Hedrick barked, pointing at Keith. “You, Kogane. You will be the pilot. Get in there.”

Keith froze. “Pilot?” He didn’t know how to do this. He didn’t even know how to use the simulation, and he was being told to lead the team as a pilot? This wasn’t good.

“I will not repeat myself. Get in there.”

Keith nodded and followed his teammates into the simulation. He climbed into the pilot’s chair. It was uncomfortable, sitting on a chair with a tail instead of legs, but there was nothing to do about it.

“I’m Holgersson,” the boy closest to him said. He had dark hair with a blue stripe in it and a navy-blue tail. “I’m the engineer.”

Keith didn’t reply, training his stare on the control panel. He had never seen inside the simulators at the Galaxy Garrison so he didn’t know if they would be similar, and the controls were nothing like the controls on the plane he had flown when he was with Pidge. He would have to rely on instinct.

The other boy didn’t introduce himself. “Do you know how to operate this simulator?”

“Sort of,” Keith said, still looking around the control panel.

Holgersson glanced at him. “You don’t know, do you?”

“I do,” Keith said through gritted teeth. The simulator was already activated. He just had to start it. His gaze fell to a red button in the center. A simulation wouldn’t have a self-destruct button, so there was nothing that could go really wrong if he pressed the button, right?

He pressed the button. Instantly, the screen unfroze and he could see a landscape of snow ahead of him. There were many mountains and arches and Keith grabbed the joystick. At least this part was the same as the plane he had flown so many years ago.

He could do this. Pidge’s voice was echoing in his ears. _You’re a natural, Keith._

He could do this. He could do this.

He could-

“The ground!” Holgersson screeched just as Keith pulled the joystick upwards, narrowly saving them from crashing into the ground. “Pay attention!”

“Oh, fuck,” the other boy muttered. He had a red tail similar to Keith’s, except there was a large dragon drawn on the side of it.

“Language,” Holgersson exclaimed. “Hedrick – sorry, Commander Hedrick doesn’t like it.”

“My bad,” the other boy said sarcastically. “Hey, what was your name again?”

“Kogane,” Keith said, his eyes still focused on the landscape ahead of them. The other boys had introduced themselves with their surnames so he figured he should too. He was guiding the plane through arches, around mountains, and it was so much easier than he had anticipated. With a jolt of surprise, Keith realized that this was easy. It was too easy. There must be a catch.

“Right, Kogane. Have you done this before?”

“No,” Keith said.

“Bullshit,” the boy said. “You-” he cut himself off as Keith turned the plane completely sideways to avoid hitting a sticking out edge of the mountain, and looped around back to their main course. “Bullshit, I say. Look at that move you did. You must have done this before.”

“I’m telling you, it’s my first time!” Keith insisted.

“That’s what she said,” Holgersson snickered.

“Shut up, Holgersson,” the other boy said. “How old are you?”

“Eighteen,” Keith said.

The other boy nodded. “Me too. You-”

“The wing!” Holgersson shouted at the top of his voice as Keith pulled the plane into a nosedive to save the wing from being knock off. Just as the plane was about to hit the ground, he jerked the joystick upwards and sideways to take them around the edge of another hill, flying them back up into the sky. “Shit, man!”

“Language,” the other boy echoed, smirking.

“Shut up, Jackson,” Holgersson said, letting out a quiet groan. “God, now I get why Garrett is always throwing up. This is horrible.”

“Land over there,” the other boy – Jackson – said, pointing at a spot on the screen. “Careful with it. It’s very icy.”

Keith nodded, not taking his eyes off the screen, and guided the plane slowly downwards to land in the icy clearing. There was a slight bump on their landing but it was successful. He let go of the joystick and leaned back. He had been holding the joystick so tightly, his fingers were white. He opened and closed his fist, trying to restart the blood circulation.

“Great job, man,” Holgersson said in admiration. “I can’t believe that was your first time.”

“I still think you’re lying,” Jackson accused. “That can’t be your first time.”

“It was,” Keith said loudly, crossing his arms. Jackson shook his head in disbelief.

The doors slid open, and Commander Hedrick stood there. “Get out.”

 _Is he angry?_ Keith swam out of the simulator and his teammates followed close behind.

“You two, go stand there.” Commander Hedrick looked at Holgersson and Jackson, so they went to stand with the other cadets. “You. Kogane.”

“Yes, sir?”

“That was the best damn flying I’ve ever seen,” Commander Hedrick said, shaking his head and turning to the class. “See this, everyone? This is what we call good flying. In fact, this is what we call excellent flying. This is the standard all of you should be at.”

Lance was looking at Keith with a gaze of pride and love, and Keith met his eyes. Lance smiled at him and mouthed, ‘great job’.

Commander Hedrick turned to Keith. “You say this was your first time?”

“Yes, sir.”

“In that case, you’re a natural,” Commander Hedrick said. “You should really consider studying at this school.”

_You’re a natural._

“I will, sir,” Keith said, knowing fully well he would never study here. Lance stifled a laugh.

“You, McClain. Come here,” Commander Hedrick demanded, fixing his glare on Lance. Lance swam forward, glancing at Keith uncertainly. “This is how you should be flying. This is Kogane’s first time and he is a million times better than you. You should really consider taking some tips from him.

Keith couldn’t stay silent. “Sir, I think that’s a bit unfair. Lan- McClain’s trying really hard. I’m just lucky.”

Commander Hedrick narrowed his eyes. “Don’t push your luck, cadet. I was just warming up to you. Don’t make me regret that.”

Keith knew that he should apologize, but he didn’t want to. He had nothing to apologize for, so he held eye contact with Commander Hedrick and remained silent.

Commander Hedrick looked away first. “Next!”

After the class, Lance walked up to Keith. They hadn’t had a chance to talk at all.

“We can leave now,” Lance said quietly. “Only first class is compulsory on Mondays.” Keith followed him to a dark room where a line of students were waiting outside. Keith didn’t ask what they were waiting for. The line was moving rapidly, and when they swam inside the room Keith realized it was another Teladuv. The Teladuv was set up against the wall and wasn’t as powerful as the one Lance created when they first arrived at Altea.

“Give me your hand,” Lance said.

Keith was confused. They were supposed to pretend they weren’t together. “What?”

“Give me your hand,” Lance said again, grabbing Keith’s hand. “Don’t think of anything, okay? Leave your mind blank.”

Lance glanced at Keith, and they swam into the Teladuv together. A few seconds later, they emerged in Lance’s house.

Keith turned to Lance. “Lance, are you-” Lance pushed Keith against the wall and pressed their lips together, his hands on Keith’s neck and his tongue sweeping into his mouth. Keith responded instantly, wrapping his arms around him and pulling him closer. Lance’s hands slid down to his waist, gripping his hips, and Keith buried his hands in his hair, tugging hard and making him gasp. His kisses were forceful, as if he was pushing against Keith, but he could push right back. He broke away to breathe, but their foreheads were still pressed together.

“I’ve been wanting to do that the whole time.”

“Sorry about what happened with the whole flight simulator thing,” Keith said.

Lance looked surprised. “What?”

“You got yelled at because of me.” Guilt was simmering in Keith’s stomach.  

“I would have been yelled at anyway.” Lance shrugged. “How are you so good at flying?”

“I guess I’m a natural,” he said flatly.

Lance cupped Keith’s cheeks in his hands, brushing his thumb along Keith’s cheek. “You were brilliant. I’m so proud of you, sweetheart.”

Keith closed the distance between them, slating his mouth over Lance’s again hungrily. Lance’s hands tightened on him and he broke the kiss, his lips trailing down to Keith’s neck to place kisses over his collarbone. Keith tilted his head back further to allow Lance better access and moaned, his hands still in Lance’s hair.

Then, there was a knock at the door. They jumped apart.

“I have no idea who that is,” Lance said as Keith said, “Who is that?” at the same time. Lance swam over to the door and pulled it open.  Standing there was the boy Lance had been in a team with, the one Commander Hedrick called Garrett.

“Hunk!” Lance exclaimed, surprised. “I didn’t know you were coming over.”

The boy must have been Hunk, Lance’s best friend.

“What do you mean? I always come over after class on Mondays,” Hunk said, puzzled. Then, he looked at Keith, and back at Lance, and back at Keith again. “Is this Keith?”  

“Yeah,” Lance said, flushing and smoothing down his hair. His hair was all over the place and his lips were bright pink – Keith wondered if he looked the same. “This is Keith.”

“Nice to meet you,” Hunk said, swimming over to give Keith a friendly, enthusiastic hug. “I’m Hunk Garrett.”

“Keith Kogane.” Keith offered him a smile. “But I think you already know that.”

“Not the Kogane part, but I did know that Lance’s boyfriend is named Keith. He _never_ stops talking about you.”

Keith laughed as Lance’s cheeks reddened further. “I never stop talking about him either, so we’re even.”

“Maybe I should meet your friends. We can cry together because of how annoying our friends are,” Hunk joked.

Keith played along. “I’m sure you guys would have a lot in common.”

“Sure would,” Hunk said cheerfully. He turned to Lance. “See, I told you Keith and I would get along.”

Lance raised his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I never said you wouldn’t!”

“Why did you say I couldn’t meet him, then?” Hunk asked.

“Because he can’t breathe underwater, Hunk,” Lance said dryly.

“Speaking of which…” Hunk glanced down at Keith’s tail. “That’s a nice tail. I know someone who has this really ugly shade of green and it looks kind of like vomit. She’s really proud of it though, so I can’t say anything. I mean, I wouldn’t say anything anyway, but you get what I mean.”

“Thank you,” Keith said politely, “but it’s not permanent.”  

“Obviously,” Hunk agreed. “Anyway, Lance, do you have any food? I didn’t have breakfast because I woke up really late and I had to rush to school.”

“Sure, I’ll get you something,” Lance said. “Keith, stay here with Hunk, I’ll be back in a minute.”

Hunk sat down on the sofa and motioned for Keith to join him. “So, Keith. I have to give you the obligatory shovel talk, so don’t take it personally. If you hurt Lance, I will hurt you. Badly.”   

“If I hurt Lance, I’ll be the one to hurt myself first,” Keith blurted out. _Fuck, that was weird. I shouldn’t have said that._

Hunk frowned. “Oh, that’s just sad. Let’s consider this talk over. Lance is my best friend. I don’t want him to get hurt.”

“I understand that,” Keith said.

“Good.” Hunk smiled but he clearly wasn’t finished talking. “That part is over so now we can get to the interrogation. What are your intentions?”

Keith wasn’t expecting that. “Intentions?”

“Yeah, your intentions,” Hunk said. “You know, intentions? What you’re planning to do?” When Keith didn’t reply, he sighed, exasperated, and asked, “Are you in it for sex?”  

“No,” Keith exclaimed, his cheeks reddening. Of all the things he had expected to happen today, this was at the bottom of the list. He glanced at the door, wishing he could run away to avoid this talk. He definitely wasn’t comfortable talking about this with someone he barely knew. “He’s a mermaid, Hunk. It’s not even biologically possible.”

“A lot of Alteans temporarily change the tails into legs so they can do it,” Hunk said accusatorily. “Are you sure you two haven’t done anything?”

“I’m sure!”

Hunk gestured at Keith’s hair. “I’m just saying, you have sex hair. And your neck… let’s not go there.”

Oh. Keith quickly smoothed down his hair. Unfortunately, he couldn’t hide the hickeys Lance had given him.

Hunk peered at Keith suspiciously. “You’ve already had the sex talk, right?”

Rather than give an answer, Keith grabbed a cushion off the couch and buried his face in it, trying to hide his embarrassment. He refused to receive a sex talk from a mermaid. And his boyfriend’s best friend, no less.

“Hunk, why is my boyfriend trying to suffocate himself? What did you do?” Lance’s voice was amused, and Keith put the pillow down as Lance sat on the sofa beside him. Lance threw his arm over Keith’s shoulders and Keith leaned back against him.

“He’s trying to give me a sex talk,” Keith mumbled, turning and pressing his face into Lance’s chest.

“Hunk!” Lance said in horror. “Seriously?”

“I was just trying to be helpful!” Hunk protested. “You guys need to be safe.”

“How does it even work?” Keith asked. He instantly regretted the question as soon as it left his mouth.

“Mermaids don’t have sex,” Hunk said before Lance could. “That’s why some Alteans temporarily change their tails into legs. We reproduce like fish.”

“Ew,” Keith complained. He had learned how fish reproduced in biology class and he didn’t want to imagine people with half-human bodies doing it. “That’s really weird.”

“It’s natural for us.” Lance shrugged. “For us, it’s weird to go inside another person.”

Keith covered his ears. “I don’t want to talk about this!”

“We’re all adults here,” Lance said.

“You’re seventeen.”

“I’m also seventeen,” Hunk said. “Just saying.”

“Exactly. I’m the only actual adult here.”

“That’s kind of weird. You’re literally dating an adult,” Hunk said to Lance, wrinkling his nose. “He’s legally allowed to adopt you.”

“You’re not allowed to adopt me,” Lance informed Keith. “Anyway, let’s not get away from the main point here. Keith and I can’t even have sex. He’s a human, I’m a mermaid. He has a d-”

“Don’t,” Keith hissed.

“He has a dreadful hairstyle,” Lance finished. He smirked at Keith. “What did you think I was going to say?”

“I wasn’t thinking anything,” Keith muttered.  

“Right.” Hunk swam over to the door and opened it, going outside to hover on the doormat. “Clearly, I’m intruding on your date so I’m going to leave now.”

Lance and Keith waved as he left.

The moment the door shut, Keith turned back to Lance.  

“Let’s go out,” Lance suggested. “You should see the plaza.”

“Okay,” Keith said, slightly disappointed. He was interested to see Altea but he would have been content to stay here with Lance. They swam out of the house, and swam down a wide street that was surprisingly void of people. Probably because most people would be working at this time. The plaza was the city center of Altea and it was a ring of shops and cafes arranged around a huge statue of a merman wearing a gold crown on his head. The crown looked like it was made out of real gold and the merman’s tail was also made out of it. They sat down at a cozy café and Lance chose a table outside the café so they could see the plaza better. The seats of the chairs had a hole cut in the center, and Lance told Keith that the hole was to make it easier for merpeople to sit.

“You sit down and let your tail hang off the chair as usual and you should be sitting on the hole. I mean, the hole isn’t for you to stick your tail through,” Lance said as they sat down. “Basically, sit on the chair normally. It’s supposed to be more comfortable.”  

“Thank you for that informative explanation about how Altean chairs work,” Keith said. Lance leaned across the table to punch Keith’s shoulder playfully.

“Hey, this is important information.”

Keith held back a laugh. “Are you joking?”

“I’m offended.” Lance held his hands to his chest dramatically. “You have wounded me.”

“What a shame,” Keith said.

“You’re the worst.”

Keith put his arms behind his head in mock relaxation. “Nah, you love me.”

“I sure do,” Lance said, smiling lovingly. Then, he quickly added, “In a platonic way. No homo.”

“No homo,” Keith agreed, biting the inside of his cheek to hold back a retort. He hated having to pretend that he and Lance were just friends, but it was for Lance’s safety. It seemed as if most of what Keith did nowadays was for Lance’s safety and it was really irritating, having to constantly think of what would be safest for Lance as if he was a damsel in distress. Lance could take care of himself. _But still._

“Look at that statue,” Lance said, changing the subject. “That’s King Alfor.” He leaned closer, his voice a whisper. “The government tried taking down the statue a few years ago, but there was a huge protest so they had to leave it up.”

“Why are they there?” Keith asked, pointing at a group of merpeople huddled together at the base of the statue.

The group was steadily getting larger and larger, and Keith realized that all the people had horrified expressions on their faces. There was a mother there that was covering the eyes of her children and a man kneeling on the ground, his hands covering his face. There was a man who was yelling in a language Keith couldn’t understand but Keith could tell that something bad had happened.

“That can’t be good,” Lance said, his voice hollow. Without waiting for Keith, he rushed over.

Suddenly, there was a piercing scream.

Keith jumped out of his seat and swam as fast as he could over to the group. He pushed his way through the people and emerged in a clear circle. At first, he didn’t understand what it was on the ground in the center of the circle.

Then, he realized.

It was a dead body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this was posted a lot later than I said, but I was on holiday for longer than I thought and I didn't bring my computer with me! From now on I will update more regularly :) Hope this makes up for it!


	6. Chapter 6

Keith looked at Lance in horror but Lance was looking straight ahead, frozen. 

“Lance,” Keith called, pushing his way through the crowd of stunned people to reach Lance, who was standing at the other end of the circle. Not thinking, Keith grabbed his hand. “What-”

Lance snatched his hand away. “Not here.”

Keith’s cheeks turned red in embarrassment. “I-”

“The law, Keith,” Lance said, still staring straight ahead. “It’s not you.”

“I’m sorry,” Keith said. 

Lance glanced around and lowered his voice. “Just wait till we get home.” He hesitated, and then pulled Keith into a hug. He was shaking. A lady next to them shot them a judgmental look. Keith wanted to ask who the dead person was but Lance was in shock and Keith didn’t want to disturb him further. 

“Lance.” A voice came from behind, shocked. It was Hunk. “Seriously? Here?”

“This is a friendship hug,” Lance mumbled into Keith’s shoulder. “Completely platonic.”

“The police will show up soon,” Hunk said. “If I were you, I would stop friendship hugging.”

Lance pulled away reluctantly but he was still shaking and his hands were trembling. 

“Why are we talking about this when there is a dead body right there?” Keith asked, gesturing wildly with his hands. Hunk and Lance both stiffened.

“That’s the prime minister,” Lance said. “That’s the prime minister.” He took a deep breath and pointed shakily at a team of merpeople approaching the crowd. “Oh, god. Look.”

The police. They all had navy blue tails and when they approached, everyone cleared out of their way. Lance, Keith, and Hunk also moved out of the way.

“All of you, clear off.”

Though the others had navy blue tails, the merman speaking had a pitch-black tail. He was strong and muscular, like a body builder, and his head was shaved. On the side of his tail, there was a carving of an emblem that Keith didn’t recognize – the emblem looked like it was carved in with a knife, because it was set deeper in the tail than the rest of his scales.

“Now.” 

The crowd scattered like scared animals, including Hunk, but Keith and Lance didn’t move. 

“What happened?” Keith asked. 

“None of your business,” the merman with the black tail said harshly. “Clear off.”

“No,” Keith protested. Lance swam forward to stand beside him and gave Keith a warning look. “You have to tell us!” 

“I don’t have to do anything,” the merman declared coldly. “Go away before I arrest you.”

Keith found himself saying, “Arrest me, then.”

“No!” Lance yelled, grabbing Keith’s arm tightly enough to leave a bruise. “General, my – my friend doesn’t know what he’s saying. He’s not from around here, sir. Excuse him, please.”

“I do know what I’m saying,” Keith shouted as Lance dragged him away. “Let go of me!”

Lance didn’t listen and continued dragging him away, down a street Keith hadn’t seen before. The houses here were dirtier and rickety, as if they were about to collapse. The ground, instead of the smooth paved stone of the other streets, was plain sand. There were no merpeople on this street and the curtains were drawn behind each of the grimy windows.

“Are you insane?” Lance demanded as soon as they were out of earshot of the general. 

“I wanted to know,” Keith insisted. “And you can’t tell me what to do.”

“Yes, I can.” Lance’s eyes were on fire. “You know nothing about Altea. You know nothing about the people here. They’ll kill you.”

“Let them try,” Keith spit out.

“No,” Lance said, and he grabbed Keith by the waist, kissing him hard. The kiss was almost painful, and Lance was harsh, not gentle as he had always been. His hands were rough on Keith’s body and his nails scraped along his back, leaving angry scarlet trails. He bit down hard on Keith’s lip, making him gasp, and ran his tongue over the shallow cut. Keith could taste blood but he didn’t care. This was how he had always wanted to be kissed by Lance but Lance was always so careful. Keith didn’t want to be careful anymore.

“Lance.” Keith was breathless, his head spinning. Lance let go of him. 

“I won’t let them kill you,” Lance said, his breathing heavy and disjointed. He was struggling to breathe as if he had swum a marathon but his voice was harsh and thick. “They’ll never touch you.”

“This is a public place,” Keith said, automatically scanning their surroundings to see if there was anyone else around. “If someone saw-”

“Fuck them,” Lance said. “I love you. I _love_ you, Keith.”

Then they were kissing again and it was gentler this time, Lance’s lips softer, more tender, and his fingers careful on Keith’s cheeks. 

Though Lance had implied that he loved Keith previously, he never said it outright. Keith had never doubted Lance’s feelings for him, but hearing those three words coming out of Lance’s mouth was indescribable. To know that Lance loved him back. And no one had ever looked at Keith like that. No one had ever looked at Keith like if he left, their world would crumble. No one had ever looked at him with such fierce, unadulterated love and he would have been embarrassed if he wasn’t looking back at Lance the exact same way. 

“I love you, too,” Keith said once he regained his breath. “But we can’t stay here.”

Altea was too dangerous. Over the time they had known each other, Lance had alluded several times to the fact that Altea’s government was unstable and even corrupt. And now a prime minister was dead in the plaza – it couldn’t be a coincidence. It couldn’t be a simple, independent assassination. This was part of something bigger. Keith knew it. 

“I know,” Lance said. “Something bad is going to happen - it’s already happening. You have to go back to your own home, on land.”

“You’re my home,” Keith whispered. 

“That’s so cliché. You couldn’t think of anything more original?”

“You ruined the moment,” Keith said as Lance’s face broke into a smile. “I take it back. My home is actually just my house.”

“But you still have to go.”

Keith was torn. As much as he liked Altea, it wasn’t somewhere he wanted to live forever. Everything he knew was above water, all his friends, and he didn’t want to leave all that for Altea, especially considering Altea was on the brink of collapsing. On the other hand, he wanted to be with Lance. He wanted to be anywhere Lance was, and if the only way they could be together was to live underwater, Keith would do it. But that wasn’t ideal.

Finally, Keith said, “And you’re still going to visit me?” When Lance didn’t reply, Keith was seized with fear. They couldn’t end this now. “Lance?”

“I will,” Lance said, making Keith sigh in relief. Lance gave him a watery smile. “We’ll force the world to change for us, right?”

Keith smiled too. “Yeah. But-” he stopped. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“You can’t stay here, either,” Keith said. “It’s too dangerous.”

“I have to,” Lance said, shaking his head. “I can’t go above water.”

“You’re literally training to go above water,” Keith accused. “And you told me you can change your tail into legs.”

“I need to get a license, first,” Lance said. “And I can’t get a license unless I graduate. I’m stuck here until then.”

“How many years until you graduate?” 

“Two.”

“That’s too long,” Keith said. 

Lance grinned. “That’s what she said.”

Keith rolled his eyes, huffing. “You’re so immature. And don’t change the subject. You can’t stay here.”

“I have to,” Lance said. “And we’re not even certain something bad is going to happen.”

“Is there _any_ way to find out for certain?” Keith asked, meaning it to be sarcastic.

However, Lance froze. “That’s… there’s a- Yes! Keith, you’re a genius!” 

Lance threw his arms around Keith, about to kiss him, but he stopped himself quickly. “Uh, friendship hug?”

“We were making out two minutes ago,” Keith said dryly. “I don’t think it makes a difference.”

“Let’s not risk it,” Lance said. Keith shrugged. “But, listen! There is one way we can find out if something is going to happen.”

“And what would that be?”

There was now a peculiar glint in Lance’s eyes. 

"Ever heard of oracles?”

 -

The corridor was dark and quiet.

The walls were lined with flaming torches but the fire was purple, giving the corridor a purple tint. _How is the fire burning underwater?_

As Keith and Lance swam along the corridor, an uneasy feeling lodged itself in Keith’s stomach. There was a strange, perturbed atmosphere. Time didn’t seem to exist. _How long have we been here?_

Keith wanted to tell Lance, but the silence was pressing, not allowing him to speak. He couldn’t see the end of the corridor. For all he knew, they could go on forever. _But how long is forever?_

Then, the corridor opened up into a massive atrium. Shadows surrounded them, giving the illusion that the atrium had no walls, stretching on endlessly. _Maybe it does._ The ceiling was high enough to fit in a seven-story building. There was nothing in the room but a fire pit in the center. The fire was purple.

Lance had stopped swimming when they entered the atrium but now he continued forward. Keith followed him. Lance stopped again at the edge of the fire pit. With a jolt, Keith realized there was someone sitting behind the fire pit.

The figure was wearing a cloak that covered their face, but the part of their face that was visible was a light purple, and there were identical scars running down each side of their face. Their hands were clasped in front of them.

The Oracle.

Echoes sounded around the room when Lance spoke. “You know why we have come.”

“I do.” The Oracle’s voice was croaky and hoarse. All of a sudden, the fire blazed higher, sending sparks flying. Lance jumped back, but Keith stayed still. “Keith Akira Kogane.”

Keith stiffened. _How do they know?_

“Akira. You were adopted at a young age, and-”

“Do you have to explain my life story now?” Keith interrupted, his voice tight and impatient. “It doesn’t matter. We don’t need you to show off your skills.”

Lance looked at Keith, his eyebrows lifting in surprise. “You-”

“No.” The Oracle raised their hand from beneath their cloak to point a spiny, thin finger at Keith. “You have come for answers. You want to know about your parents.” 

“I don’t care about my parents,” Keith lied, interrupting them again. “I want to know what’s happening in Altea. And if you can’t tell us, we’re leaving.”

Lance inhaled sharply, but he didn’t say anything.

The Oracle now faced Lance. A single spark flew out of the fire and landed just in front of him. Keith instinctively moved forward to protect him but the Oracle held out a warning hand. A few more sparks flew out. “No.”

“Watch it,” Keith snarled, putting his hand on Lance’s shoulder protectively. Lance visibly relaxed at his touch.

“I will not hurt your lover,” the Oracle said. Keith narrowed his eyes.

“I’m not his lover,” Lance said curtly, making Keith flinch. Realizing what it sounded like, he looked at Keith and hastily said, “I just meant the word lover is based on sex and you’re not… that’s not all you are to me. I didn’t mean we’re not together.”

Keith nodded, his momentary fear expelled. He turned back to the Oracle. “So?”

“You want answers,” the Oracle said again.

He wanted to say a sarcastic remark, maybe something about how they were visiting the Oracle for a humble chat, but he instead settled on saying, “Obviously.”

“There are limits as to what I can tell you,” the Oracle said. Keith was so frustrated he could push the Oracle into the fire, but he figured that wouldn’t go down well with the Alteans. Even so, he had a hard time stopping himself from doing it. They had come all this way, taking two wormholes and swimming several kilometers, just for the Oracle to tell them there were limits? If there were limits, there was no point in visiting oracles at all.

“I can tell you this. Your fears for the Altean Empire are correct. But something will rise up to protect.”

They paused. “Or someone. Five people. They will rise up to protect the innocent and to defeat the evil. There will be more than one enemy. This is all I can tell you.”

_Isn’t Altea a city, not an empire?_

The Oracle looked at Lance. “You know. You know what is coming.”

Keith and Lance exchanged looks, and Keith raised an eyebrow. Lance nodded and tapped his wrist, then pointed at the ceiling. _What?_

Lance sighed and turned to the Oracle. “Do you have any advice for us?”

“Be careful of who you trust,” the Oracle said, their voice suddenly sharper. “Things are very rarely what they seem to be. And know that some secrets are too grave for even the bearer to know.” 

“Cliché,” Keith muttered, but Lance looked satisfied.

“Thank you,” Lance said. 

“Be careful, young one,” the Oracle said. Their voice cracked as they said ‘young’. Keith hadn’t known if they were a man or a woman, but now he realized that they were a woman. The voice was decidedly feminine as they said the last sentence. There was broken emotion in her tone. Suddenly, Keith was scared that something was going to happen to Lance. “Be strong.”

 “I will,” Lance whispered.

The fire blazed high, and Keith knew it was time to leave.

When they were outside, Keith turned to Lance. “Do you know her?”

Lance looked at Keith. He had a strange expression that Keith had never seen on him before. “No.”

“Are you sure?” Keith asked.

Lance folded his arms across his chest. “You don’t trust me?”

“Of course I trust you.”

“It doesn’t look like it!” Lance’s voice was louder now and accusatory, and with each passing second, he clenched his jaw tighter until Keith could almost hear the grinding of his teeth.

Keith scoffed, pushing as much scorn into it as he could. “You’re being ridiculous now. Who said I don’t trust you?”

“You’re the one overreacting.” Lance was clearly furious, his flushed face twisted into a scowl and his chin jutting out in arrogance.

“I’m not overreacting!” Keith yelled, throwing his arms in the air. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing,” Lance said, his voice cold. “You’re the one there’s something wrong with.”

Keith wanted to tell Lance something that was decidedly un-loving, but he bit the inside of his cheek hard to stop himself. The taste of blood filled his mouth and his nails dug into his skin as his hands tightened into fists.

Lance smirked. “Tongue tied?” The look was infuriating, and was doing nothing to calm Keith down.

“I’m trying to remind myself of why I love you,” Keith said. If he continued this argument he might end up saying something he regretted and he needed to stop it before he reached that point. Lance was the one thing in his life he wanted to hold on to and, for him, he would have to control his temper. But it was almost impossible when Lance kept looking at him like that, with that look of arrogance and amusement, like he knew how Keith was going to be the one to give in first.

“Give me a moment.” Keith took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ve got it. Now… I’m – I’m sorry.” It was hard to say, and Keith wasn’t sorry, but he couldn’t break them up over such a pointless argument.

“Okay,” Lance said.

“That’s it?”

“Don’t start this again.” Lance sounded casual, like nothing had happened.

Keith scowled. “I think I need another moment.”

Though his stance was unbothered, Lance was still smirking. “Take all the time you need.”

The tension between them was almost physical, magnetic, but Keith didn’t know if they were repelling each other or attracting each other. _Attracting, definitely._ Lance was strangely attractive like this – Dominant. Controlling. Keith wanted to push him against a wall and kiss him senseless. Show him that though Lance could act confident, Keith was the one who was in control here. Lance raised an eyebrow, waiting for an answer, and it was as if the space in between them was charged with electricity.

“Well?” Lance said.

That was it. With a burst of power, Keith pushed him against the wall, pinning his arms over his head. Lance’s lips parted in shock.

“Let go of me.”

“No,” Keith said, his voice husky, a growl. “You have to apologize too.”

Lance narrowed his eyes. “No.”

Keith’s hands tightened on Lance’s wrists. “Apologize.”

“Get the fuck off me,” Lance spit out. He wasn’t smirking anymore.

“If you really want me to, I will,” Keith said.

Lance hesitated, and groaned. “Oh, fuck me.”

“If you want,” Keith said, grinning. The tension was now diffused and he knew they would be alright. It was a silly argument anyway, and he had no idea how it had escalated so quickly.

“Horny bastard,” Lance muttered. Keith couldn’t help it – he burst out laughing, any remnants of the poison of his rage dissolving into inexistence.

“I love you,” Keith said once he stopped laughing.

Lance grinned. “I know.”

Keith furrowed his eyebrows. “Did you just Han Solo me?”

“Did you just Leia Organa me?” Lance countered.

“Touché.”  

Lance laughed. “Are we just going to stand here repeating quotes back to each other, or are we actually going to discuss the whole situation with Altea?”

“We probably should,” Keith said. “The Oracle mentioned the Altean Empire. Isn’t Altea a city?”

Lance winced. “Uh, I might have forgotten to mention that Altea is actually an empire and it is the dominant force in the oceans.”

Keith stared at him disbelievingly. “How did you forget that?”

“It never came up,” Lance said defensively. “And they’re also kind of- well, they’re kind of evilish. I mean, Alteans don’t think so, but I think they are.” He glanced around. “I’ll explain that later.”

“So, I’m dating someone who is a part of an evil empire?” Keith said slowly.

Lance looked at him reproachfully, and Keith instantly felt guilty. “Don’t go there.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” Keith said.

“It’s fine.” He looked around them. “I think you should go now. It’s not safe.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Keith said hopefully.

Lance nodded and pecked Keith’s cheek lightly. “Come on, sweetheart. I’ll take you home.”

-

Shiro heaved the suitcase into the car and wiped the sweat off his forehead, rolling his sleeves up in an attempt to cool himself. “God, that suitcase is heavy.”

“What do you even have in there?” Keith asked as he climbed into the driver’s seat and started up the car.

Shiro tugged at the handle of the passenger seat door, but it wasn’t opening. His eyebrows furrowed, he gave a strong pull and wrenched the door open. “A lot of paperwork.”

“How was your trip?” Keith asked as Shiro sat in the passenger’s seat.

“Awful. Do you have any nutrition bars with you?” Shiro asked, rummaging in the car’s mini fridge.

Keith frowned. “What happened?”

“Presentations. Just… just presentations.” Shiro turned to Keith with a weary shake of his head. “Never become an astronaut, kid. It’s not as cool as it sounds.”

This was the perfect opportunity to tell Shiro of his plan to go to the Galaxy Garrison. “Yeah, about that.”

Shiro looked at him quizzically.

Keith opened his mouth to say it, but it wouldn’t come out. Though he logically knew Shiro wouldn’t judge him, he was irrationally afraid that Shiro would accuse him of not being good enough and not thinking realistically. He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up, while Shiro watched him patiently.

Finally, he forced himself to say it. “I’m going to apply to the Garrison.”

Shiro’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Keith nodded.

“That’s great!” Shiro exclaimed, squeezing Keith’s shoulder. “They’ll be really lucky to have you, Keith. You’ll do great there.”

“I hope so,” Keith said, not wanting to show his elation and relief. “Did you find the nutrition bars?”

“Why do you change subjects so quickly?” Shiro’s tone of voice made it sound like he had been waiting to ask that question for a long time. “One minute we’re talking about the Garrison and the next minute you’re talking about nutrition bars.”

“I’m just uncomfortable,” Keith confessed. “I don’t know why, but applying to the Garrison… it’s something I’ve always wanted but it always seemed like an impossible dream, you know?”

Shiro nodded. “I understand. It was the same for me.”

“Really?”

Shiro laughed. “I’m a human being too, Keith. I get self-conscious, I doubt myself.”

“Oh.” He had never thought about it that way, because Shiro was always so confident and he seemed to have everything figured out, to be fully in control of his life.

“Remember that time when you flew that plane when you were ten?”

“Yeah.”

“Sam still talks about that.” It had taken Shiro years to finally feel comfortable with calling Commander Holt by his first name, although they had always been close. Shiro was the type of person to put great importance on politeness, and during the first few years he knew Samuel Holt he always called him Commander, even after they became friends.

“Whenever I mention you,” Shiro continued, “he always starts talking about how you have great talent and you just need some initiative to get you motivated to join the Garrison. He said there’s always a place for you there.”

“Wow.” Keith was unable to stop himself from smiling. He always knew that Sam liked him and treated him as his own son, but he never would have imagined that something he did when he was ten would leave such a lasting impression on Sam.

Shiro smiled too. “I’m proud of you, Keith. I know I don’t say it much and I’ve been nagging you a lot since you—” he stopped, not wanting to mention it—"never mind. But I am truly proud of you.”

“Why?”

Shiro shook his head. “If only you didn’t have such terrible self-esteem. You have the potential to achieve great things. You’re just too scared to try. Remember what Sam always says: If you get too worried about what could go wrong, you might miss a chance to do something great. And I know you can do great things.”

Keith smiled at Shiro gratefully. “Thank you, Shiro.”

“Anytime.”

-

“I have to tell you something.”

Keith and Pidge were at her house, sitting on her bed. Since her family was well-off, with both her father and her brother having high ranking positions as astronauts, she lived in a huge house in the distant suburbs of the city. The house was equipped with the latest technologies and even some devices that were personal inventions of her family members. She had her own workroom within the house that she used as an inventing room, aside from her bedroom.

Her bedroom was large and had no windows, since she was rather sensitive to light. Screws, bolts, and pieces of metal were strewn all over the tiled floor and her desk was occupied by a small triangular robot. The robot was Pidge’s latest invention, a flying drone named Rover.

“Are you listening to me?”

Keith quickly looked back at Pidge, who was pouting. “Sorry, yeah. What were you saying?”

Pidge shifted closer to Keith, causing the blanket she was sitting on to slide off the bed. “I have to tell you something. But it’s really important, alright? And you can’t tell anyone ever.”

“I have a trench ready in my backyard and I have a shovel. I’ve got you covered if it’s that.”

Pidge was staring in Keith’s eyes, deathly serious. “This isn’t a joke. It’s really important.”

“You can trust me,” Keith said, uneasily. Pidge rarely ever got this serious and when she did it was usually something bad. In fact, she hadn’t looked this grave in years.

“I know I can,” Pidge replied. “That’s why I’m telling you this.”

The room was dark and ominous.

She took a deep breath. “Don’t interrupt me, okay?”

Keith nodded.

“About three years ago, do you remember when I went on a deep-sea exploration?”

Keith shook his head.

“I think that was when you- when you were away.” Pidge paused and gave Keith a meaningful look. Keith understood. “Well, I went on a deep-sea exploration with Dad off the coast near your house. The expedition was going well; we discovered some interesting species we didn’t know lived in that part of the ocean. Dad was driving the submarine so he was staring ahead of us, and I was looking around the submarine.

“He wasn’t paying attention to me because he was busy so I went to the back of the submarine and looked out of the porthole. We were really deep in the sea. I was trying to see if I could discover anything new.”

Pidge stopped to breathe, and Keith had a hunch about what she was going to say next.

“So, I was looking around and I saw something that was… definitely new.” Pidge stood up and walked over to her desk, pulling open a drawer and peering inside it. She took out something Keith couldn’t see and sat back down on the bed. “Look at this.”

She held the object out to Keith, revealing that it was a photo. He took the photo.

When he looked at it, his heart stopped.

The photo showed a figure. The figure was looking straight at the camera with a scared expression on their face, like they were caught doing something they shouldn’t.  

The image was fuzzy, blurry, with dark shadows cloaking the figure, but there was no doubt that the figure was Lance.

Keith stared at Pidge, stunned.

Pidge nodded solemnly. “I saw this, Keith. At first, I thought I must be hallucinating because mermaids don’t exist, right? But I grabbed my camera and took a photo, and there’s no doubt about it.”

Keith was still gaping at her wordlessly. He looked back down at the photo. Yes, that was definitely Lance – the figure had his markings, his tail, his physicality and even the expression on his face was Lance’s.

Pidge was more serious than ever. “And Keith?”

A pause.

“I know Lance is the person you’ve been talking about.”


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Someone pointed out to me that some important information was missing in the previous chapter and I realized that I posted the wrong chapter!! (Sorry about that!) I've updated it with the correct one now, so now Chapter 7 might seem like a re-post of Chapter 6, but Chapter 6 is a completely different chapter... needless to say, that was a very confusing explanation! :D Basically, I'd recommend going back and reading the 'new' Chapter 6 because it's an important chapter.

They were staring at each other.

“Keith? Did I break you?”

Nothing.

She looked uncertain, even afraid, like she was just realizing what this meant. “Are you alright?”

Nothing.

Then- “How do you know?”

Pidge brightened up a little, relieved that Keith wasn’t angry at her. “A year after that incident, I saw him again while I was at the beach. Clearly, he isn’t very good at hiding from humans. He was about to swim away but I told him I saw him before, so he stayed and asked me where I saw him before and I told him about the whole submarine thing.”

Keith closed his eyes. “And you didn’t tell me earlier?”

“That’s the strange part. Just as I was about to leave, he grabbed my wrist and said something in a language I couldn’t understand and my veins started glowing. After that, I forgot that we even met. I think he wiped my memory.”

“He didn’t tell you he was going to do it?”

Pidge threw her hands up in the air in sudden frustration. “No! He did it without even telling me!”

That was strange. Lance had told Keith that he was going to wipe his memory, so why didn’t he do the same to Pidge?

“Anyway. I forgot everything about the encounter, until last week. I was bored so I went over to your house, and I saw you and Lance on the beach. My memory came back then, and I remembered that I saw him before.

“And that’s all,” she finished. “I wanted to tell you.”

He had thought that he and Lance were being so careful. If Pidge saw them, who else could have seen them? He cursed his own stupidity. Out of a selfish desire to see Lance, Keith had put him in huge danger. And now he would have to confess to Lance about Pidge seeing them, which would be a horrible conversation which might end with Lance never wanting to see him again. He should have ended this relationship with Lance before it even started, before they were both attached enough that the break up would be agonizing.

Pidge was still looking at Keith expectantly, and he had to say something. “How do you know his name?

“I heard you call him that,” Pidge said simply.

“Oh.”

_Oh._

_What an understatement_.

-

It was a beautiful day, but Keith was more stressed than he had been in a long time, and that was saying a lot.

They were at yet another cove Lance had recently discovered, one with soft white sand and clear green water with trees he didn’t know the name of scattered around inland. Keith was sitting on the ground and Lance was lying down, his head in Keith’s lap.

“Why are you so tense?” Lance murmured.

Keith paused in the motion of stroking Lance’s hair. “I’m not tense.”

He laughed quietly. “Don’t pull that on me. I know you too well.”

“You’re right.” Keith sighed. “You’re not going to be happy about this. Promise you won’t be angry at me?”

“Why would I be angry at you?” he asked.

“You’ll see.”

“In that case, I’m not going to promise.”

“Fair enough. Listen. You know that human girl you met last year?”

Lance sat up, his eyes wide. “How do you…”

“She’s my best friend,” Keith said, “and she saw us together last week. She knows you exist.”

Lance groaned and lay down again, covering his face with his hands. “Fuck.”

“She also has a photo of you,” Keith said.

“Fuck!”

“Yeah,” Keith agreed. “What are we going to do?”

“Okay.” Lance took a deep breath and lowered his hands, looking back up at Keith. “Tell her to destroy the photo.”

“I will.”

“Thanks. Is she the type of person to tell anyone?”

“No. I already told her not to tell anyone else and she agreed. But she was a bit disappointed. It’s like finding out aliens are real and not being able to tell anyone.”

“I suck at hiding from humans,” Lance muttered under his breath, dejected.

Keith lightly tugged a strand of Lance’s hair, getting his attention back. “You’ve only been caught by two so far. One, technically, since I didn’t actually catch you.” An idea occurring to him, he laughed. “You caught me.”

Lance smiled, his worried expression melting away. “I did.”

“Are there any other humans you’ve been catching?” Keith asked in amusement.

“Oh, yeah. Hundreds.” Lance sat up again and faced Keith, close enough that he was almost sitting on Keith’s lap. “Jealous?”

“Very,” Keith breathed. Lance’s kiss was slow, deliberate, like he knew that Keith was hungry for more and wanted to torture him. He tasted like over-sweetened tea and his tongue flitted against Keith’s, teasing. “Have you been drinking tea?”

“Something like that,” Lance mumbled against Keith’s lips, his hands knotting in Keith’s shirt in frustration. “Why are you always wearing shirts?”

Keith raised an eyebrow. “It’s called public decency, Lance.”

Lance laughed. “You know what I mean. They always get soaked anyway.”

“Would it make this better or worse if I said I get sunburnt easily?”

“That’s not sexy,” Lance complained, moving away, “you’re ruining the mood.”

“You started it,” Keith said as Lance lay down again and closed his eyes. “Tired?”

“A little,” Lance said. Even with closed eyes, Lance was visibly tired. He had heavy eyebags under his eyes. He yawned and stretched his arms, nearly hitting Keith in the process. “The political situation is really tight. There are a lot of protests and they’re all banging pots and stuff so it’s hard to sleep.”

“Can you even bang pots underwater?”

“Yeah. Everything in Altea is made out of a water resistance-resistant material. And I get that people are protesting for the greater good and all but the noise is fucking noisy!”

“I wouldn’t have guessed,” Keith said drolly.

“Shut up.”

“You say that far too much.”

Lance grinned, opening his eyes. “I could say the same to you.”

“Why are they protesting?”

Lance sighed. “That’s even less sexy. Can we talk about it later?”

“No,” Keith said.

“You’re so stubborn, mullet,” Lance said.

“And you’re stalling.”

“You know me too well. That’s why I-”

“You’re still doing it.”

“You’re so stubborn,” Lance said again, his eyes closing. “Fine. After I dropped you off, I went back to the town center and it turned out the Queen’s official representative was there – he’s this scientist guy, I have no idea why she chose him – and they announced that the prime minister was assassinated by the Galra. Apparently, the Galra also sent a message to the Queen saying that- well, I can’t remember what exactly they said, but it was something about being undermined for too long and something else about prejudice.”

Keith was silent for a moment. Then, he asked, “Do you remember the second time we met in that cave, with the river?”

Lance groaned. “Do I have to explain that as well?”

“Yes.”

“The things I do for love,” Lance announced dramatically. “There’s a whole legend behind that. The legend of Voltron. I already told you that, right?”

“Yes,” Keith said.

“As the legend goes, whenever the need arises, five people will be chosen and they will form Voltron to defend the Oceans again. I don’t think I told you this, but before Zarkon killed Alfor, he-”

“Zarkon killed Alfor?” Keith echoed, shocked.

Lance blinked. “I didn’t tell you that?”

“No!”

“Zarkon killed Alfor,” Lance said as if it were the most obvious thing. “I told you about how Zarkon wanted revenge, right? And before he blew up Altea he got in a huge fight with Alfor and killed him.”

“He blew up Altea?!”

“Yeah,” Lance said in the same casual tone. “He blew up Altea. The modern day Altea is a rebuilding, it’s not the original Altea.”

“You didn’t tell me that, either.”

Lance rolled his eyes. “My bad. Can I continue? Just before Zarkon killed him, Alfor sent the lions to different corners of the world’s oceans. The cave you found was the entrance to the pathway to one of them.”

What had Keith’s life become? Every day was one shock after another. He couldn’t go a single day anymore without being told that he found a magical entrance to a magical flying cat or finding out fucking unicorns existed.

Lance laughed, and Keith realized he must have said it aloud. “Don’t worry, unicorns don’t exist.”

“Good to know,” Keith said grumpily. “The cave was just the entrance?”

“Yeah,” Lance said, “If you followed the river, it would have lead you to the blue lion.”  

“In that case, the blue magical glowy stuff was Quintessence, right?”

Lance nodded approvingly. “Yes, it was.”

“Oh. Do all Alteans know this stuff?”

“You ask so many questions,” Lance sighed. “But no, not all Alteans know. I know because it’s my job to protect the blue lion.”

“Why?”

“You’re like a toddler. What do you mean, why? It’s my job!”

“Why’s it your job? Why not someone else’s?” Keith persisted.

“I don’t know,” Lance said, “it’s always been my job since I came to Altea.”

“When did you come to Altea?”

Lance laughed shortly, as if he was channeling his irritation into a laugh that sounded like he was planning on murdering Keith as soon as he fell asleep. “Keith, baby, honey, light of my life, the yee to my haw, I’m tired. Can you stop asking me so many questions?”

“Sorry,” Keith said, leaning down to give Lance an apologetic kiss.

“Seriously,” Lance said, breaking the kiss, “this entire conversation is the hallmark of an author that can’t figure out how to weave this information into the story.”

“What story?” Keith said.

“Never mind,” Lance said, smiling knowingly and pulling Keith down to press their mouths together again. His head was still resting on Keith’s lap but Keith was able to bend down to kiss him easily. Noticing the same thing, Lance said, “Hold on, how are you in this position? Isn’t it painful?”

“I’m pretty flexible,” Keith said.

Lance smirked. “Oh? Should we test that?”

-

The sky was a strange color. There must have been a storm brewing, because the color was weird and ominous. Green, grey, black – as Keith stared at the sky, he couldn’t decide the color. The clouds were thick, not like processed cotton but more like tangled raw sheep wool. There was no hint of the sun at all, though it was only late afternoon. Somehow, it didn’t seem as if it would rain. The clouds were storing a building tension that left the whole city tense. It was unsettling.

“That’s unsettling,” Shiro said, joining Keith at the window. “It’s like the sky during the Quidditch cup in the Goblet of Fire, when the skull thing is in the sky. What’s it called… the skull mark, with the snake… the dark mark! The dark mark.”

“Yes,” Keith said.

“I thought you like Harry Potter?” Shiro prompted.

“I do,” Keith said.

Shiro leaned over to close the window and pull the curtains down so the room became even darker. He crossed his arms. “We need to talk.”

“Another talk?”

“I promise, this is the last one for a long time.” Shiro guided Keith over to the couch and turned their lamp on so the room was lit by a soft glow. Normally, the cozy glow was comforting, but this night it only added to the disturbing atmosphere – like a horror movie waiting to happen.

“There’s something we’ve both been avoiding for a while,” he said.

No. This couldn’t be about-

“Why did you do it?”

It was.

All of a sudden, Keith didn’t mind running out under the unsettling sky as long as it meant he could avoid this conversation.

“Keith, I know you don’t want to talk about it. But it’s time. You can’t avoid this forever.”

“I can sure as hell try,” Keith said.

Shiro shook his head. “Don’t deflect. Tell me what you’re feeling for once.”

Keith raised an eyebrow. “Are we seriously going to talk about our feelings like teenage girls at a sleepover?”

Shiro jumped up and slammed his hands on the table, knocking over a glass of water so it spread out over the carpet in a wide dark line. His face was scarlet red and his temples were pulsing.

“This is exactly the kind of shit that I’m talking about! You’re always fucking changing the subject and every word that comes out of your mouth is sarcastic because you can never deal with your issues like a normal person! You never listen! You fucking ran away, Keith. I want a fucking explanation for why I was left alone in this goddamn house with no one else around, thinking my brother was fucking dead for a whole year!”

Keith stared at him in shock. He had never seen Shiro so angry.

“You don’t get to sit there and stare at me like this is coming out of nowhere!” Shiro yelled. “Answer me! Why? Why the fuck would you pack up and leave without saying anything!” His breathing was sharp and jagged, and his voice was cracked. “Tell me!”

The last words came out loud enough that he was worried people would be able to hear them from the main road, and Shiro dropped to his knees, burying his face in his hands. 

Keith’s heart was thudding. He had never seen Shiro like this, and it was terrifying. He didn’t know what was worse – Shiro’s anger or his weakness. He had never seen Shiro break down like this.

“Just tell me.” The words were a whisper, shaky and broken.

“I don’t know.”

Shiro looked up. His eyes were bloodshot. “What?”

Keith closed his eyes. “I don’t know.”

They were both silent.

“That’s not enough.”

Keith opened his eyes. “What?”

Shiro stood up, his expression stone cold. “I don’t know isn’t enough.”

“What else do you want me to say?”

“Anything,” Shiro said, “except that you don’t know. Because you definitely know.”

It was time for Keith to admit it to himself after he had been in denial for so long. For so long, he had refused to mention it, denied any accusations, and now he had to admit it to himself.

He ran away. When he was fourteen, a few months after his adoptive parents died, he ran away. He ran and ran and travelled by almost every means of transport just to get away from his home. He needed to go somewhere new, somewhere where he wasn’t surrounded by reminders that nearly everybody who loved him in his life had died.

He ended up in a desert. For a year, he lived in a rickety shack in the middle of a desert in the middle of nowhere with nothing but his conspiracy theories and the occasional lizard to keep him company. Eventually, he came to his senses and realized that he had to go back, so he did. However, it took him another month or so to get out of the desert, and even more time to get back to his house. He lost track of time completely, and had no idea about how time passed anymore. Out in the desert, the only measure of time was the movement of the sun, and Keith didn’t care about that. He only cared about getting away.

And he did.

“I’m sorry,” Keith said.

Shiro didn’t say anything.

“I’m really sorry. It was all too much.”

“They were my parents too,” Shiro said quietly. “I had to deal with losing my parents and my brother.”

“I’m sorry, Shiro.”

The atmosphere wasn’t angry anymore. Just somber. Grave.

“Keith, you’re my brother and I will always care about you. But I think I have to be away from you for a while.” Shiro turned away. He was trembling. “I’m going to go stay with Matt.”

“For how long?”

Shiro didn’t answer, and left the room without another word.

Keith buried his face in his hands.

_-_

“I fucked up.”

“How?” Lance asked.

“I fucked up,” he repeated. He felt a drop of water on his head and looked up. More drops. He should have known it was going to rain.

Lance looked up as well and smiled brightly, like an excited child. “Hey, the weather matches your mood.”

Keith smiled faintly. He could never stay upset when he was around Lance. Well, under normal circumstances. Now, he was definitely still upset.

Lance had a sympathetic expression. “Must be bad, huh?”

“Terrible,” he mumbled. “Shiro and I had a fight and now he’s going to stay with one of our friends to get away from me.”

Lance winced. “I’ve been there. It’s horrible, isn’t it?”

Keith squeezed his eyes shut, willing the tears to stay in. Lance wrapped his arms around him comfortingly and Keith melted into the touch, relishing Lance’s warmth and his relaxing energy. Somehow, Lance always emitted a sort of relaxing vibe that banished any negative thoughts taking up Keith’s mind. Already, he could feel his stress ebbing away.

“Thank you,” Keith murmured.

“I didn’t do anything,” Lance said simply, offering Keith an easy smile. “Just doing my job as your boyfriend.”

Keith’s heart still fluttered each time Lance called him his boyfriend. “Thanks for fulfilling your duties, then.”

“Of course, sweetheart.” Lance kissed Keith’s forehead, smoothing back his hair. “Don’t worry. Shiro will be back before you know it.”

“He was really angry. I never saw him so angry.”

“He’ll forgive you,” Lance continued, “trust me. How angry was he, anyway?”

Keith flinched at the mere memory of it and Lance’s features turned concerned.

“He didn’t hit you, did he?”

“No!” Keith exclaimed, quickly backtracking. “No, he didn’t hit me- anyway, it wouldn’t matter, siblings hit each other-”

“Not when you’re both adults,” Lance pointed out, “it’s not an innocent playfight anymore.”

“You’re making this weird,” Keith said.

Lance sighed and looked away, staring at a small rock a few meters away. He looked uncharacteristically serious and honestly, Keith was fed up of having so many serious conversations with people. Up until when he had run away, Keith’s life was pretty ordinary and predictable. Regular. But now every single day he was having a serious conversation with someone or he was finding out something else that changed his life. Again.

“A lot of kids get abused by their siblings. I’m making sure you’re safe.”

“Shiro is definitely not abusive,” Keith said, a fierce protective instinct flaring up in him. He took a moment to calm himself before he blew up at Lance – after all, Lance was only looking out for him. “He’s the opposite of abusive.”

Lance seemed to sense what Keith was feeling. “Okay, sorry. Just checking.”

“It’s fine,” Keith said. “It’s just…”

Lance waited expectantly as Keith fumbled for the correct words to express what he wanted to say.

“Do you ever feel like too much is changing?” he asked finally.

“All the time,” Lance said.

“Because for a while now everything is changing too fast,” Keith confessed. “I can’t keep up with it.”

“I get it. It must be difficult for you, suddenly being thrust into a world where mermaids exist and oracles and stuff like that.”

“It’s not just that,” Keith said, “though that is the main thing. A few years ago I ran away from home, and ever since I came back things were never the same. Shiro and I used to be so close. He would take my side in everything and he would let me do whatever I wanted but since I came back he turned into this stereotypical father figure – he’s always nagging me and he doesn’t trust me anymore.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

“It’s my fault,” Keith said, “I messed it all up.”

“You must have been going through a lot back then,” Lance said gently, “every teenager has a rebellious phase.”

“But not every teenager runs away to live in a fucking desert!” Keith instantly regretted raising his voice because hurt flashed across Lance’s face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell at you.”

“I’m not a child. I won’t get upset each time you raise your voice,” Lance said sharply, but he was looking away back at the small rock, clearly upset.  

Keith huffed. “I mess up everything.”

“You need to stop being so goddamn self-deprecating,” Lance said, suddenly cutting his gaze back to Keith. “You’re a great guy but you always mope around pitying yourself. You need to get up off your ass and stop feeling bad for yourself.”

“Great, we’re back to the serious conversations,” Keith muttered.

“And here comes the deflecting,” Lance said. “You have a problem with communication.”

“You can’t blame me again-”

“I’m not blaming you. I’m not even angry! I’m just saying, every relationship needs communication. You refuse to communicate! Each time we end up talking about something serious you change the subject.”

“I can’t help it,” Keith said.

Lance sighed. “Sweetheart, please stop trying to defend yourself and help me figure out a solution to this. I already said I’m not angry at you. You don’t need to be so scared – I’m not going to leave you. Ever.”

“You’re going to get bored of me eventually,” Keith said.

“I’ll never get bored of you.”

“You say that now.”

“Trust me,” Lance said.

“I think I have trust issues,” Keith admitted. He looked down at the ground. However, Lance lifted up his chin, coaxing him to make eye contact. It was difficult, getting the words out when he was staring into Lance’s magical eyes. He was getting distracted so he forced his mind to stay on track. “I guess… I’m naturally untrusting because my mom left me.”

“I thought your mom died,” Lance whispered, cautious.

“My dad died,” Keith said, “My mom left me. A while ago, I found my dad’s old journal. I found a page where he wrote, _she stayed back in -_ something - _and told me to go. I begged her to come with me but_ – there was another sentence but it was smudged so I couldn’t read it - _I’m in her house now and I’m writing this down before I’ll take Keith and leave._ The word that said where she stayed was also smudged so I couldn’t read it. The ‘she’ must be my mom. The rest of the page was destroyed by water. They found his journal on the shore.”

“That’s horrible,” Lance said quietly.

“It doesn’t matter. I didn’t know either of them. All I know about my dad is that he’s Southern and he plays the guitar. I don’t know anything about my mom.”

Lance did a double take. “Your dad is Southern?”

“Yeah. Why?”

“That means you are too!” Lance exclaimed, his voice a pitch higher than usual.

“So?”

“I can’t believe I’m dating a Southern guy. That’s like dating Keith Whitley- oh my God!” Lance groaned at the revelation. “Please tell me you’re not named after a country singer.”

Keith raised an eyebrow. “You think dating a Southern guy is weird? You should see who I’m dating.” 

Lance laughed and moved closer, grinning. “So, who is this guy you’re dating?”

He shrugged in mock triviality, trying hard to hide his own smile. “Oh, just some guy who likes the sea. He’s pretty cute, though.”

Lance’s eyes were glinting roguishly. “Is he?”

“He is. He’s also really annoying, though.”

“Mine’s also really annoying,” Lance said, the same playful glint still in his eyes. “but he’s also really nice and hot and he’s the best at kissing.”

The corners of Keith’s mouth quirked up. “I’m jealous. Your boyfriend sounds much better than mine.”

Lance shut him up with a kiss.

-

Keith was woken by a loud rapping at his window. He rubbed his eyes, hoping the sound would go away, but it didn’t. He heaved himself out of bed and walked over to the window, tugging it open. To his surprise, Lance was there.

“Hurry up,” Lance gasped. “I can’t breathe.”

Without thinking, Keith climbed onto the window sill and launched himself out of the window, landing on the ground with a hard thud. His ankles were stinging.

“Urgent,” Lance choked out, “Now. Can you-”

Without waiting for an answer, Keith picked Lance up and rushed over to the sea, dropping him in unceremoniously. Immediately, he could see Lance’s muscles relax and the color return to his faded tail.

“What the hell, Lance-”

“We have a situation,” Lance said. His cheeks were a bright red and he was panting. “Quick.”

“What is it?”

Lance thrust a vial towards Keith. “Drink this.”

The vial was filled with a luminous, aqua liquid that Keith now recognized as Quintessence. “What-”

“Shut up and trust me!”

Keith tipped the vial back and swallowed all the liquid in it. It tasted sickly-sweet, like how he would imagine poison to taste, and for a moment he wondered if this was a murder attempt, if Lance was poisoning him. It was bubbling in his stomach and a faint burning had started up all over his skin. He collapsed to the ground. Blue light was swirling around him, chaotic and disorganized. Was he dreaming? This couldn’t be real. The blue light was flying around him and creating a spiraling tornado of light and color. When the light died down, Keith glanced down to see that he now had a tail again.

He looked at Lance, alarmed. “Why am I-”

Lance grabbed Keith’s wrist and dragged him into the water before swimming away from the shore with a burst of energy. They were travelling impossibly fast. Then he stopped. They had almost crashed into an underwater wall of rock.

“Lance!” Keith hissed. “What are-”

“You’ll fit,” Lance said, giving Keith a quick look-over.

“Stop interrupting me!”

“I promise I’ll explain in a bit,” Lance said before pulling Keith into a tunnel he hadn’t seen before. There was no light at all. Keith could feel the walls of the tunnel skimming his body and the top of his head as they swam and the feeling was stifling.

Finally, Lance stopped swimming again and they went up to the surface. Keith’s head broke the surface and he drew a shuddering gasp of air in relief. He could breathe underwater but the claustrophobic tunnel made him extremely uncomfortable. As Keith looked around, he realized they were in the cave Keith had found so many months ago. The carvings on the walls were glowing again.

“If you get out of the water you’ll get your legs back,” Lance said, out of breath. “It’s the new Quin-formula. It’ll wear off after 24 hours. Get out.”

Keith climbed out of the river and his tail transformed into a pair of legs right before his eyes. “What now?”

“Go touch that carving of the lion,” Lance said.

Keith scanned the wall until he found the carving of the mechanical lion. Slowly, he touched it. The wall was scorching hot and he snatched his finger back. He heard a deafening roar echoing through the cave. The wall parted and the section with the siren and the section with the lion slid apart to reveal another cave, ten times bigger than the current one.

“Can you carry me?” Lance asked. Keith nodded and stepped towards him so Lance hooked his arms around Keith’s neck and allowed Keith to lift him into his arms. “Go into that cave.”

As they entered the cave, his eyes widened and he almost dropped Lance.

Right in the center of the cave was an enormous, mechanical, blue lion. A forcefield of shimmering blue encased the lion. Then, Keith heard footsteps.

Lance’s expression contorted into terror. “Hide! Wait, don’t drop me!”

Keith rushed to the corner of the cave where there was a large rock and crouched down behind it, still holding Lance.

“Be quiet,” Lance commanded in a hushed whisper. Keith was about to say something when Lance held a finger to Keith’s lips. Keith bit back a retort.

The sound of laughter pierced through the air but it didn’t sound like happy laughter. It sounded triumphant, smug, arrogant. It was followed by more heavy footsteps, and two people walked into the cave.

But they didn’t look like humans.

They had two arms, two legs, the usual human things.      

But their skin was purple and covered in a layer of thick purple fur. Their ears stuck out of their heads, as pointy as Lance’s but furrier. Even their faces were covered in the fur and they had yellow eyes and sharp, wet teeth. They were muscular and inhumanely tall – they must have been at least seven feet tall. They both had markings on their faces but each had different markings. The slightly shorter one had lilac lines on either side of its faces that ran from its cheekbones down to its chin. The taller one had a single line that curled around its chin like devil horns.

The smaller one spoke in a harsh, gruff voice. “This is the lion?”

“No, it is the hamster,” the taller one replied in a similarly hoarse voice. “What does it look like?”

“Careful, Raht,” the shorter one said. “Lord Zarkon will not appreciate your attitude.”

Keith and Lance shot equally shocked looks at each other.

“Zarkon knows I serve him with the highest loyalty,” the taller one said coldly. “He does not care how I speak amongst my comrades.”

“There is no point in continuing this conversation. That is the lion,” the shorter one declared. “We have seen enough. We can return now. The Quin-formula will wear off soon.”

“We must retrieve it,” the taller one said.

“He did not tell us to do so.”

“But it would be good to do so all the same.”

The shorter one turned to the taller one with a look of anger. “You suggest we go against the orders of our Emperor?”

“We cannot go against orders he never gave us. If we retrieve it, he will be pleased.”

The shorter one crossed his arms. “Very well. But if it goes wrong I will tell him it was your idea.”

“It will not go wrong.” The taller one strode across the cave to place a hand on the forcefield.

Immediately, his body convulsed and he was sent flying across the room, crashing into a wall and collapsing on the ground. He groaned. “It went wrong.”

The shorter one laughed. The laugh came out as a bark of mockery. “Let us return to Zarkon, and you will tell him how well your retrieval went.”

“I will do no such thing.”

The taller one stood up and as they were about to leave the cave, he stopped. “Wait. I smell something.”

“You must smell your own paranoia.”

“No, no. You must smell it too. It is… do you smell how sweet it is?” The taller one spit on the ground and stomped his foot. “There is only one creature that smells like that. It is an Altean. There is an Altean here.”

Lance swore under his breath and Keith clasped his hand over Lance’s mouth.

Both the Galrans began searching the room while Keith and Lance stayed frozen, not daring to make a single move. The taller one stopped walking and cocked his head to the side. Then, he walked towards the rock which Keith and Lance were hiding behind. Keith’s fingers tightened on Lance’s arm. Then, he stopped himself. He looked down and saw that red marks were left on Lance’s shoulder where his fingers dug into the flesh. He wanted to apologize but the Galran was even closer and he couldn’t risk making a sound. Instead, he gave Lance an apologetic grimace.

The Galran stopped walking just as he reached the rock. Then, he turned and walked back to the shorter one. “There’s nothing here. We can take our leave.”

“Make sure you tell Zarkon where the blue lion is,” the shorter one said, “And tell him it is the second lion we have found.”

“I know.”

As the Galrans left and the footsteps died away, they released the breaths they had been holding.

“I’m sorry,” Keith said, looking down at Lance’s arm, “I didn’t realize I was-”

“Don’t worry about it,” Lance said with a dismissive wave of his hand. “That was close.”

“I think that’s an understatement.”

“Very close,” Lance corrected. “It was very close. But now we know that Zarkon knows where two lions are. We can’t let him find the others.”

 “What are we supposed to do, Lance?” Keith asked wearily. He didn’t want the responsibility of this. “We’re just two guys against an entire empire. We can’t do anything.”

“Wrong!” Lance exclaimed, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. “Stand up and don’t drop me, I’m going to show you something.”

“You really need to start explaining,” Keith said, but he stood up with Lance still in his arms. “What are you going to show me?”

“The lion, first of all.” Lance pointed at the lion. “God, this would be so much easier if I had legs. Walk over there.”

“I thought Alteans could alter themselves to have legs?” Keith asked as he walked over to the spot at which Lance had pointed.

“Yeah, but it’s really difficult because it’s the biggest transformation we can do. And also when you do it, it lasts indefinitely. You don’t have to concentrate the whole time to keep the legs – you have the legs until you actively try to change back, and then it’s even harder to get your tail again. Most people use Quintessence to make it easier, but you need a license to use that type of Quintessence,” Lance explained.

Keith looked up at the lion. It was even bigger than it had looked from the entrance of the cave and he could sense waves of energy being emitted from it. The closer he stepped to it, the stronger the waves became. The energy waves were powerful enough that every hair on Keith’s skin was standing up, his blood was rushing through his veins with a renewed vitality, and his ears were blocked by the pressure.

Keith stopped walking.

“What is it?” Lance asked.

“It’s too much energy,” Keith said. “I can’t go any closer.”

Though Lance had previously been squirming uncomfortably, now he stilled. “What?”

“Is something wrong?” Keith said, more irritated than worried. Nothing surprised him anymore. Someone could walk up to Keith and tell him that his mom was a Galran siren and Keith would just laugh at them.

“How can you feel the energy?”

“It’s not exactly subtle,” Keith said as his ears popped. He winced.

“Humans aren’t supposed to feel it that strongly,” Lance said.

“Maybe I’m not human,” Keith joked. Lance gave him a strange look.

There was a second of stunted silence before Lance said, “Look”, and pointed at something behind Keith.

Keith turned around.

There was someone standing there.

They were wearing a dark suit that covered every inch of their body and a strange mask that covered their face – the mask had three dots that looked like LED lights where the eyes would be. They were tall, much taller than Keith, and they had the same muscular stature as the Galrans. They were holding a long sword that had an oddly familiar symbol near the base.

Keith didn’t have time to wonder where he had seen the symbol before. The sword was pointed straight at him.

“Stop,” Lance said quickly, “I told you about him.”

The person lowered their sword, but their muscles were tensed. “Keith?” His voice had a similar quality to it as the Galrans.

“Yes,” Keith said, noticing that the person didn’t refer to him by his surname like the other Alteans did.

The person stepped closer. “My name is Ulaz. Have you explained?”

“Explained what-”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” the person - Ulaz said. He nodded towards Lance.

“No,” Lance said. “It was difficult enough to get him here in time.”

“We don’t have much time,” Ulaz said, glancing behind him to the cave entrance and stepping closer to Keith and Lance. “Listen carefully.” Ulaz looked at Lance again, and as if Keith wasn’t there at all he asked, “Are you sure he can be trusted?” 

Lance’s eyes narrowed. Coldly, he said, “Yes. More than anyone.”

“Fine,” Ulaz said. “Listen. I am part of an organization called the Blade of Marmora. We are a Galran rebel group against the Altean and Galran empires. We have a plan to find the location of the other lions and we must do so before Zarkon can find the others. We must hurry.” 

Ulaz’s voice was filled with urgency. “Have you tried the lion yet?”

In response, Lance looked at Keith. “You’re going to need to fly it.”

“Doesn’t the lion need to accept me first?” Keith asked, trying to keep up with everything that had happened in such a short span of time. He had been in bed barely ten minutes ago and his mind was still sleep addled.

“It will,” Lance said, reaching over Keith’s shoulder to knock on the forcefield twice.

Immediately, the forcefield shimmered and with a loud popping noise it shattered.

A booming roar echoed through the cave. The lion’s roar. The lion was moving as if stretching itself and lowered its head to the ground, its mouth sliding open to reveal an entrance.

The waves of energy had doubled in force but somehow Keith was plowing through them without any trouble. He ran inside the lion and found himself in a cockpit. The dashboard was covered in controls but none of the lights were turned on. Instinctively, Keith sat on the chair. He couldn’t reach the controls with Lance in his lap, and without him asking Lance instantly rolled off his lap to rest on the ground. Now Keith could reach the controls.

The moment he touched the sticks by which he assumed the lion was controlled, he heard another roar and the console came to life. All the buttons and levers were flickering with blinking lights and there were some sort of maintenance and status information charts on either side of the chair.

Keith looked ahead of him. He had a clear view of the whole cave. Then, his eyes caught on two things at the entrance.

The Galrans were back.

They were pointing at the lion and yelling, running towards it. Ulaz was right behind Keith and his fingers were gripping the back of the chair. “Go upwards.”

“But, the roof-”

“Go upwards!”

Without Keith doing anything, the lion sprang to life, launching itself off the ground with a huge leap into the air. It was flying towards the roof at full speed and Keith braced himself for impact. The impact came a second later, sending aftershock vibrations through the whole lion. Lance was sent flying through the water, faster than he would have thought possible underwater, crashing into the wall at the back of the cockpit. He lay there, groaning.

Without thinking, Keith jumped out of his seat and swam to Lance. He ran his hands over Lance’s head, checking for any blood.

Feebly, Lance gestured towards the seat. “Back… don’t wanna crash… the seat.”

Though his body was screaming at him not to leave Lance, Keith swam back to the seat and sat down, grabbing the controls. However, it was no use – the lion was controlling itself and the controls weren’t working.

They were in the night air, flying over the coast into the city. But the lion made a sharp turn and they were back at the coast. The lion moved into a sudden nosedive, rushing down towards the sea.

Keith’s ears were filled with a scream, but he didn’t know if it was his or Lance’s.

They broke through the surface, but the lion didn’t stop, powering through the water, going deeper and deeper. It was only a few seconds before they were at the part of the sea that Keith dubbed the ‘Soul-sucking void’. It was too dark to see anything. Keith felt pressure on his left hand. He looked to see Lance sitting on the ground beside him, his hand placed on Keith’s.

“Does it still hurt?” Keith said softly.

“Not much,” Lance whispered back, gingerly touching the back of his head and glancing behind himself. Ulaz was still in the same, clenched position. “He looks pretty stressed.”

“I can’t believe I’m flying a lion,” Keith said.

Lance shrugged. “I think the lion’s flying you.”

“It’s not letting me take over,” he complained.

“That’s how they work.”

Keith pouted. “I wanted a chance to try flying it, though.”

Lance smiled. “You’re so cute when you’re pouting.” He reached up to place a soft kiss on Keith’s lips.

“Hey!” They turned to see Ulaz glowering at them. “Can we focus on the mission?”

“We are focusing,” Keith said as Lance said, “It was just one kiss!”

“One kiss is all it takes for a Galran soldier to take advantage of the distraction and shoot us down,” Ulaz said harshly. “Flying a lion is not the time for it.”

“One kiss is not a make-out,” Lance said. “You’re such a buzzkill.”

“I’m not your babysitter,” Ulaz said, turning away to check the readings on some sort of meter. “Keep your eyes ahead of you and your hands to yourself.”

The moment Ulaz turned away, Lance turned to Keith and kissed him again, twisting his fingers into Keith’s hair in a silent warning to keep quiet. He had to stifle a laugh.

“Get off each other,” Ulaz commanded without turning around. “Lance, come here.”

Reluctantly, Lance crawled over to where Ulaz was standing while Keith shook himself, trying to clear his head. 

“This is our plan,” Ulaz said, looking over at Keith. “We can use the lion’s sonar sensor to find the location of the other lions. But we shouldn’t retrieve them without pilots.”

Lance and Keith looked at each other.

Slowly, they both turned back to Ulaz and nodded.


	8. Chapter 8

Keith stared at the phone in his hand, waiting for Pidge to pick up. Finally, she did.

_“Hey, cadet. Do you need something?”_

“Come over,” Keith said, “it’s important.”

_“Is it really important or did you lose your cereal box again? Because I told you, Shiro hides it behind the fridge-”_

“It’s really important,” Keith insisted. “Can you come as quickly as possible?”

He heard Pidge sigh on the other end of the line. _“I’ll be there in half an hour.”_

Keith hung up.

-

“What’s all this about?” Pidge asked as she kicked the door open, carrying a grocery bag in one hand. “And why don’t you lock the door?”

“I left it open because you were coming,” Keith said.

He was going to do it. He was going to tell Pidge everything and ask her to pilot the Green Lion.

“I brought you more cereal,” Pidge said, dropping the bag on the counter and plonking on the sofa beside Keith. “You probably would have asked me for it sometime.”

“Thanks.” He couldn’t be distracted.

He had to focus.

He had to-

“What do you need to talk to me about, anyway?”

Focus.

Keith’s words came out in a burst of illegible, slurred mumbles. “IneedyoutopilotthegreenlionbecauseAlteaisabouttobeattackedand-”

“Whoa, slow down,” Pidge said, holding up her hands in front of her. “I can’t understand what you’re saying.”

“You need to pilot the green lion,” Keith said again, preparing to explain everything to her.

Before he could begin, she stood up and walked over to the glass wall, staring into the distance. She was a silhouette in the glow of the evening light. Keith went to stand beside her. The orange sun was casting rays across her face, bathing her in its light and leaving the rest of the room in shadows. For the first time, Keith realized how pretty she really was. She was facing him, watching him intently. She usually had fierce eyes, full of determination and stubbornness, but now they were calm.

Then, Pidge spoke. “You’re staring.” 

“I know,” Keith said.

Pidge turned away to gaze back at the sea. Light was reflecting off the rolling waves, making it look as if the water was on fire. Somehow, this was intimate. The two of them, standing side by side and staring at a fiery sea.

“The green lion, huh?” Pidge said.

“I can explain. The lions-”

Pidge stopped him. “I already know.”

Like he said – nothing surprised him anymore. Even finding out that Pidge already knew about the lions.

“Aren’t you curious about how I know?”

Keith shrugged. “I’m not surprised. I was sure you’d figure it out at some point.”

Quietly, Pidge said something Keith couldn’t hear.

“What?”

“Are you sure the lion will accept me?” Pidge asked, barely above a whisper. She was still staring at the sea.

Keith was bad at this. Shiro was good at it. Shiro was great at helping people with their self-esteem and making them believe in themselves, with his uplifting pep talks and his sincere belief in others. However, Keith wasn’t like that. He was terrible at comforting people. But he had to give it a shot.

_What would Shiro do?_

Keith placed his hand on Pidge’s shoulder, a little uncomfortably. “Hey, Pidgeon. Don’t worry about it. The lion will definitely accept you.”

“You’re imitating Shiro, aren’t you?” Pidge said.

“We’ve been friends for far too long,” Keith replied with a sigh.

She shrugged off his hand and walked over to the sofa again, without sitting down. “Don’t bother. Whenever you try to comfort me you’re like – it’s like a turtle that fell over on its back and can’t get up, so another turtle comes and tries to help it but it just ends up falling over as well. That’s basically you.”

Keith snorted. “Creative. What else do you want me to do?”

Pidge jerked her head towards the door. “Let’s go.”

As an afterthought, he ran into his bedroom and grabbed the ring Lance gave him. He slid it on his ring finger and ran back outside to join Pidge. As they got in the car, Keith started it up. Just before turning onto the main road, he said, “We have to make one more stop first.”

-

Keith pressed the doorbell and stepped back.

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Pidge whispered.

“We have no choice. We need another pilot,” he answered, “and I can’t trust anyone else.”

Keith pressed the doorbell again, and again. There was still no answer. “Don’t you have the keys?”

“How responsible do you think I am?”

Giving up on the main door, Keith started walking towards the right side of the house. Pidge ran to catch up with him. He ignored her questions and continued walking along the wall, scanning for the correct place. After a minute or so, he stopped at a window on the ground floor. It was the window to Sam’s workroom. Keith knew that Sam could be absent-minded while inventing something new and there was a large chance the window was unlocked.

Keith grabbed the bottom of the window and tried pulling it upwards. It was stuck.

“It’s locked,” Pidge said. “I reminded him to start locking it.”

He swore under his breath. “You sure picked some time for that reminder.”

“Hey, I didn’t want his blueprints to get stolen!”

“What about yours?” Keith asked. “Your workroom. Is that locked?”

“Matt reminded me,” Pidge said sheepishly.

Remembering something, Keith turned to the other direction and breaking into a sprint, sprinting to the other side of the house. “Matt never locks his windows.”

“Yes, he does,” Pidge called, speeding up so she was running alongside Keith.

“He never locks his windows,” Keith repeated without any further explanation. When they reached the other side of the house, he pointed at a window on the third floor. “He always leaves it unlocked. We made a pact when we were little that we would always leave our windows unlocked in case one of us wants to sneak into the other’s house.”

“That’s cute, but how are we supposed to get up there?”

Keith began checking the surroundings for anything they could use to get up to the window while Pidge stood still, thinking of a safer plan. There was a tree conveniently next to the window with branches that looked sturdy enough to support him. They _had_ to be sturdy enough.

Keith grabbed the trunk and heaved himself onto the first branch as Pidge watched anxiously, biting her nails though she hadn’t bitten them in years. The branch was shaking, almost breaking, so Keith launched himself off the branch and onto another one. Steadily, he climbed up the tree, hopping and jumping from branch to branch like a weird tree elf.

“You look like an elf,” Pidge yelled. From this high up, she was a dot on the ground.

“You look like an ant,” Keith yelled back down. The dot laughed. Keith continued up the tree. The branches were getting thinner and thinner. If he fell, it would be disastrous. He would probably break his neck and die, or break his spine and die, or break all his bones or die. _Wonderful._

It was at moments like these that Keith appreciated the fact that for a few years he had gone to various training courses, including a three-month long course at a military academy, a parkour course, and a “Surviving in the Wild” course. And a sword-fighting course _. In retrospect, that last one was probably unnecessary._

Keith was now at the same level as Matt’s window. He had a problem.

The window was a good five meters away from the tree.

_Fuck._

This wasn’t going to be fun.

_I don’t want to do this._

_Well, I can’t really hide up this tree for the rest of my life._

_It’s possible. I can get Matt to bring me food._

_No, that’s too weird._

 “I’m not going to argue with myself all day,” Keith said to himself angrily. “I’m going to do this.”

Before he could change his own mind, Keith slid his feet off the branch he was standing on so he was hanging from a thick branch. Though the branch was so thick, it was already weakening.

He had to make a move. The branch was snapping.

It was-

With a deep breath, Keith swung himself forward, kicking off the trunk for balance. For the few seconds he was in the air time seemed to pass in slow motion.

Pidge waving her arms beneath him.

The sun above him.

The suburban villas all around him.

The window, flying towards him impossibly quickly. The closed window.

“Fuck!” Keith yelled as he crashed into the window.

The glass didn’t break. No, that would be too lucky by Keith’s standards. The glass didn’t break and Keith was falling, falling downwards with nothing to hold onto.

 _I’m not going to die like this!_ Keith grabbed the first thing he could reach and he wasn’t falling anymore, the sudden stop giving him whiplash and starting a terrible burning in his neck. Now he was hanging from a window on the second floor, holding onto the windowsill.

Pidge was shouting something in panic but Keith tried to block out her voice. He had to focus.

_I have to focus._

The burning in his neck was getting worse with each passing second but he clenched his jaw and ignored it. He pulled himself up.

For one terrifying, blinding moment Keith thought he was falling again but he was balancing on the windowsill, crouched like a cat. He didn’t want to risk pulling the window open but he had to. He took a deep breath and tried the window.

It slid open easily. Almost crying with relief, Keith tumbled inside the room. He lay on the ground, breathing heavily, feeling nauseated, his neck on fire.

Then, his eyes slid shut and everything went black.

-

“Are you awake?”

Keith didn’t want to wake up. The darkness was bliss and being awake was painful.

“You are awake.”

Slowly, he opened his eyes. Shiro was sitting on the edge of the bed, a sympathetic yet hesitant expression on his face.

“Shiro,” he whispered. “I’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for.” Shiro patted Keith’s knee lightly, as if he was scared that a heavier touch would break his bones. His knee was certainly hurting badly enough that it felt like it would.

Keith tried to move his head to see where he was but he couldn’t move it. Panicked, he looked at Shiro.

“Don’t try to move your neck,” Shiro advised hastily, reaching over to adjust what must have been a neck brace. “You damaged it pretty badly.”

Keith prepared himself for the scolding that was sure to follow.

“Get well soon, buddy.”

Keith gaped at him. “What?”

“Get well soon,” Shiro said again, smiling kindly. “That looks like it hurt pretty bad.”

“Aren’t you going to yell at me?” Keith blurted out.

Shiro’s eyebrows raised. “Why would I do that?”

“You always tell me to take better care of myself and you’re always yelling at me when I don’t listen.” The words were coming out in a half-frustrated, half-resigned torrent. “Even though I’m an adult now you still act like you have a responsibility to look after me and control what I do.”

Shiro sighed. “I’m sorry about all that. I thought about it and now I know that I can’t control you. You’re an adult, Keith. Not a child anymore. So, I’m not going to control you. I can’t. It’s your life and you can do what you like with it. Just- just be careful, alright?”

“Alright, Shiro,” Keith said.

There was a hefty silence.

Then- “Thank you.”

Shiro smiled. “It’s not anything to be thanked for. You deserve respect.”

“Thank you anyway.”

From what Keith could see of the room, it looked like Matt’s bedroom. Those were definitely his posters on the wall and the bedsheet was a design that only Matt could have picked out – a Star Wars and Star Trek crossover set in Hogwarts. But how did he get in Matt’s room, and if Shiro was in the house why didn’t he open the door for them?

Just then, Pidge walked into the room. Keith looked to her, asking her a silent question. Minutely, she nodded. She sat down on the ground beside the bed.

“I told him,” she said.

“How much?” Keith asked.

“Everything,” Pidge and Shiro said at the same time.

“Oh.”

“I won’t tell anyone,” Shiro said. “You can tell Lance he can trust me.”

“You can tell him yourself,” Keith said softly.

“I will.”

Keith hesitated. “Shiro, do you remember when you asked me if I’ve secretly been seeing someone?”

Shiro smiled again. It was bittersweet, like a father seeing his son going on a date for the first time, like a mother bird seeing her baby fly away. “I’m guessing it’s him.”

“Wait until you meet him,” Keith whispered. He broke into a coughing fit and the coughing made his neck hurt even worse.

Shiro cringed. “That looks painful.”

Miserably, Keith confessed, “It is. Do you have any painkillers?”

Shiro looked at Pidge, who nodded and walked out of the room.

“He’s just… I’ve never met anyone like him. Have you… have you ever met someone who is basically the personification of the sun? They walk into a room and the room is physically brighter and you can’t help but smile and they smile back at you, and your heart feels like it’s about to explode.”

Shiro looked down at the ground, his hair falling over his eyes. His hair had grown longer – Keith hadn’t noticed. A hint of envy and resentment slipping into his voice, he said, “I haven’t.”

Keith closed his eyes, wishing he hadn’t said it. The last thing he wanted was to make Shiro feel bad about the fact that his younger brother was together with the person he loved, while he wasn’t. However, Keith was sure that if Shiro told Allura about his feelings he would find out that she felt the same way.

He heard Pidge’s voice and opened his eyes.  “I have your painkillers.” After a fair struggle, he was sitting upright and taking the bottle of water and painkillers from Pidge. He took three of the pills, swallowed them, and handed the water and the packet of pills back to Pidge. She winced. “Uh, I don’t think taking three was a great idea. These are really strong.”

Keith’s stomach was already hurting. “I think you’re right.”

“Of course I am,” Pidge said. “Here, I’ll help you get up. We should leave now.”

“Wait, Shiro.” Keith looked to Shiro. “You’ll pilot the black lion, right?”

Shiro’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why the black lion?”

“Because you’re a born leader.” The words came out of Keith without him thinking about it. “Everyone automatically looks to you to lead them and you always know what to do. They follow you without hesitation. Believe me, the lion won’t accept anyone but you.”

Shiro exhaled, drawing it out. “Okay. Let’s go.”

Keith flinched at the thought of it. Getting up was going to hurt.

-

By the time the trio walked onto the beach night had fallen and the moon was hanging in the sky, shining quietly in the center of the speckled stars.

The sea was still. Then, a familiar head broke the surface of the water, sending out minor ripples.

“Keith,” Lance exclaimed, a warm smile spreading over his face, swimming towards the shore. Keith ran to the shore as well and kneeled down, cupping Lance’s face in his hands to kiss him. Lance kissed him back eagerly, looping his arms around Keith’s neck.

When Keith broke the kiss and turned back to Pidge and Shiro, beckoning for them to come closer, Lance’s eyes widened.

“I didn’t know your friends were here,” Lance said, his cheeks turning red.

“They don’t mind,” Keith dismissed.

“I do mind.” Pidge crossed her arms in mock anger, but her gaze was playful. “I don’t want to see that.”

“Sorry, I didn’t-” Lance’s face was even more scarlet. “Fuck, this is a horrible first impression.”

Pidge shrugged. “Now we know that Keith’s boyfriend is an easily embarrassed human tomato.”

“I’m not a tomato,” Lance protested.

“Well,” Shiro said, clearly wanting to change the subject. He held out a hand to Lance. “I’m Shiro. You’re Lance, right?”

Lance smiled at him, taking his hand and shaking it firmly. “It’s great to meet you, Shiro. Keith’s talked about you a lot. If it’s not weird, I want to ask you something.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Is your full name Takashi Shirogane?”

Keith, Pidge, and Shiro all stared at Lance. Equally shocked.

Slowly, Shiro said, “How do you know?”

“It’s a long story,” Lance said. “You’re kind of a hero in Altea.”

Shiro stared at Lance, his eyes wide and his mouth half open. “I am?”

Lance nodded. “You went to space, right? But your ship was hijacked by the Galran Empire and they captured you, and you were their prisoner for a year.”

“You must be thinking of someone else,” Shiro said, shaking his head. “That’s never happened.”

Lance smiled knowingly. “Do you remember your mission where you crash landed on an island and ended up stranded there for a year?” 

Impossibly, Shiro’s eyes widened even more. “How do you know about that?”

“That’s a fake memory. When you were rescued we wiped your memory and implanted a fake one,” Lance explained, “because humans can’t know about mermaids, but you would question it if you had a blank in your memory for a year.”

Scrap that. There were still things that could surprise Keith. Namely, this.

“When were you gone for a year?” Keith asked disbelievingly.

“When you were gone,” Shiro said.

Keith looked at Pidge. “And you didn’t tell me this?”

“We didn’t want you to worry!” She looked at Lance. “Really?”

“Yes,” Lance said. “Shiro, you’re a hero because allegedly, you escaped on your own. Nobody’s ever escaped the Galra Empire.”

Keith’s mouth dropped open. “And you didn’t tell me?!”

“I didn’t know your brother was this Shiro,” Lance said defensively. “I only realized when I saw him now. I saw him once before, when I had to implant the fake memory.”

“Wow,” Pidge said, “This is weird. Somehow, Lance has met all of us separately.”

Shiro nodded, speechless.

“It is really weird,” Lance agreed.

“I guess the question is, who is your favorite?” Keith asked teasingly, trying to lighten the mood.

Lance pretended to think about it. “Oh, I don’t know…”

Keith smirked and leaned closer so their foreheads were almost touching. “Do you want some help with making that decision?”

“I think I’ve decided,” Lance whispered, gently brushing Keith’s hair off his forehead and letting his fingers trail down to rest on Keith’s collarbone.

“Do you have to flirt in front of us?” Pidge half-yelled, making Shiro hiss, “Shh.”

Keith sighed and moved back. “We should get going.”

“Give me a second.” Lance dived back into the water and re-emerged a few seconds later, holding three vials. He handed a vial to each person. “Drink this.”

Pidge peered at the vial doubtfully. “What is it?”

“Quin-formula,” Lance said. “It’s completely safe. I think. Anyway, Keith took it and he didn’t die, so it should be fine.”

Shiro drank the formula and soon his legs were transforming into a powerful, purple tail. When Pidge drank the formula, her own legs transformed into a green tail.

“See!” Lance grinned triumphantly. “You guys are destined to pilot the black and green lions.”

“This tail is purple.” Shiro swam around experimentally, diving underwater and resurfacing to hear Lance’s reply. 

“The black lion’s magic is purple,” Lance answered without any further explanation. “It’s destiny. There’s a reason all of us have met before. We were destined to meet.”

“That’s so fucking cheesy,” Pidge said.

“Hey, I don’t make up this stuff. It comes in my job description to have to explain stuff that should be obvious anyway. I’m like the old wise wizard that overexplains everything in every fantasy story ever.”

“What job description?”

Lance shrugged. “The chosen one and all.”

Again, the trio were left staring at Lance.

Lance didn’t seem to notice that what he said wasn’t exactly something ordinary. “What?”

Keith spoke first, his voice incredulous. “You’re the chosen one?”

“Oh. Yeah, I kind of am. I mean, I’m not the only chosen one. There are usually two or three chosen ones per century.”

“I can’t believe this,” Keith said, “I’m dating the chosen one. The mermaid chosen one. The chosen one, who is a mermaid.”

“You sure are!” Lance said cheerfully. “The Chosen are the people that are chosen to defend the lions and they have the power to unlock the secrets of a lot of magical stuff. I haven’t come across any of that magical stuff yet, but it would be so cool if I did! There’s even this magical star map that is actually a map of the oceans, not the stars, but in relativity to the stars.”

Keith shook his head slowly, taking a moment to be grateful that the painkillers were working so the motion didn’t hurt his neck. “Magical stuff.”

Lance nodded excitedly. “Magical stuff!”

“Keith, your boyfriend is literally a human puppy,” Pidge said.

“I can’t believe you’re telling me this now,” Keith said, ignoring Pidge and turning back to Lance. “We’ve known each other for almost a year, and you’re just telling me now?”

“It never came up!”

“Of course it didn’t!” Keith said crossly. “You were supposed to bring it up!”

“Sorry, sweetheart.” Lance’s voice was gentler. “I’ll make sure to tell you next time.”

Keith tried to keep the scowl on his face, but it slid off anyway. He could never stay angry at Lance, especially for something that wasn’t even that big of an issue. 

“If you guys have finished…” Shiro trailed off meaningfully.

“Oh! Yeah, of course. Follow me.” Lance dived into the water and the others followed him as he sped off, presumably leading the way to the cave where Keith had parked the lion the previous night. They found another cave to hide it in because the Galra already knew the location of the original cave, and Keith hoped the Galra didn’t find the new location.

Thankfully, when they arrived at the location it looked as if no one else had been there. The new cave was underwater so they were all able to enter it comfortably without having to drag themselves onto dry land. There was no one there except for Ulaz, who was standing beside the lion, looking impatient. When they swam into the cave he swam towards them. “Why are you all so late?”

Pidge and Shiro gaped at him, and Shiro looked as if he had seen a ghost.

“I recognize you,” Shiro whispered. “I remember you.”

Ulaz looked at Shiro, and his own expression contorted in shock. He didn’t speak for a few seconds, staring at Shiro wordlessly. Finally, he said, “Yes.”

Keith looked back and forth from Ulaz to Shiro, waiting for an explanation. Shiro couldn’t have seen Ulaz anywhere before, could he? If he did, surely, he would have remembered it, and the way Shiro spoke now implied he had just remembered. Maybe he saw Ulaz when he was captured by the Galra, but that would have to mean that Ulaz was a part of the Galra Empire.

“He helped me escape,” Shiro said, still staring back at Ulaz. “You saved my life.”

“It was the right thing to do,” Ulaz replied, his voice flat and emotionless as always, his momentary surprise expelled.  

There was a tense silence.

“Thank you,” Shiro said.

Ulaz didn’t reply, instead choosing to turn to the others. “Keith, you’d better pilot the blue lion for today.”

“For today?” Keith echoed.

“Yes,” Ulaz said, “Then you will change to another lion. This one isn’t for you.”

“But it accepted me!”

“The blue lion is the most accepting of all of them. It will accept almost anyone, and it knew that it had to accept you yesterday. But it is not your lion. You will not be able to unlock all its powers.” Ulaz looked at Lance. “It is your lion.”

Lance was visibly astonished. “Me?”

Ulaz nodded. “The blue lion is hyper, excitable, fun-loving. It is also determined and willing to do whatever it takes to defend its fellow lions and pilots. Lance, you were born to pilot this lion.”

“So I was born to pilot a mechanical lion,” Lance muttered. “Great.”

“That’s not what I meant,” Ulaz said. “It isn’t _all_ you were born to do. But you are destined to pilot it. And you-” Ulaz turned to Pidge. “I assume you’ve already been told that you will pilot the green lion. The Green Lion has an inquisitive personality and needs a pilot of intellect and daring. That pilot is you.”

Pidge looked excited. “Cool!”

Ulaz looked at Shiro. “And you. Takashi Shirogane. You will pilot the black lion. The black lion is the decisive head of Voltron. It will take a pilot who is a born leader and in control at all times, someone whose men will follow without hesitation.”  

Shiro glanced at Keith. It was almost exactly what Keith had said when they were in Matt’s bedroom.

“Keith.” Ulaz looked at Keith too, serious. “The Red Lion is temperamental and the most difficult to master. It's faster and more agile than the others, but also more unstable. Its pilot needs to be someone who relies more on instincts than skill alone. You will fly it.”

“Do I have to?” Keith asked. “Can’t I stick with the blue lion?”

“The red lion will only accept you,” Ulaz said sharply. “This is your destiny.”

“Can we stop talking about destiny?” Keith said, exasperated.

Ulaz’s eyes narrowed, tired of Keith’s attitude. “I understand you might feel entrapped by all this talk of destiny, but it is something you must accept. You don’t have a choice.”

“Good to know.”

Just then, Keith heard someone yell, “I’m sorry I’m late!”

He turned to see Hunk, his hair messy and his arms covered in seaweed. “I’m sorry, but I missed the bus and then I got lost and someone—” he glared at Lance—"didn’t wait for me.”

“Sorry,” Lance said meekly.

“The final pilot. The Yellow Lion. The yellow lion is caring and kind. Its pilot is one who puts the needs of others above his own. His heart must be mighty. As the leg of Voltron, you will lift the team up and hold them together. You will pilot the yellow lion,” Ulaz declared, looking at Hunk.

“The leg of Voltron?” Hunk repeated, looking unhappy. “Can’t I be the head?”

Ulaz ignored him and turned to Keith. “As I said, you will pilot the lion for now.”

Keith nodded and looked at the lion. The lion was lying on the ground as if taking a nap. It growled and opened its mouth, allowing Keith to swim inside it and sit on the pilot’s seat. The others followed him inside and crowded around him, watching as the lion roared to life and Keith flew it out of the cave. Rather than flying upwards, he propelled it through the water, deeper and deeper.

Lance was watching intently over Keith’s shoulder. “Press that button there. It will activate the sonar sensor.”

Keith glanced at Lance and pressed the button. He trusted Lance to know the blue lion better than he did. Sure enough, a map popped up in front of him. It had four blinking dots. Keith changed the lion’s direction so it was going towards the closest dot, which turned out to be the yellow lion. Hunk looked pleased.

Keith peered at the map closely. “Is that the Indian ocean?”

“Yes,” Ulaz confirmed. “Currently we are in the Atlantic Ocean, but we should be there in a few minutes.”

Keith glanced over his shoulder. “Only a few minutes?”

“The lions travel at an incredible speed.” Ulaz looked at Pidge. “How old are you?”

“Sixteen,” Pidge said. “Why does it matter?”

“You seem very young,” Ulaz said thoughtfully, looking her over as if trying to decide if she was really sixteen.

Pidge frowned, not appreciating his suspicion. “So what?”

“Are you sure you will be able to fight?” Ulaz asked.

“…What fighting?”

“You will need to fight many Galra,” Ulaz clarified. “Are you alright with killing?”

Hunk looked alarmed. “Killing?”

Ulaz sighed. “This will be difficult.”

“We can do it,” Lance spoke up, his jaw set in determination.

“Perhaps you can,” Ulaz allowed, “but what of the others?”

Keith brought the lion to a sudden stop, throwing the people that weren’t holding onto anything forward. “We’re here.”

Ahead of them was a huge underwater mountain. It was made of harsh, strong rock and there was no entrance visible anywhere. Though Keith had previously seen the water to be full of tropical fish, the water around the mountain was void of any life.

Hunk was the first to say, “That does not look like a friendly mountain. Am I the only one that definitely does not want to go in there?”

“You have to,” Ulaz commanded.

“I’ll come too,” Lance offered as Shiro opened his mouth to speak. “Hunk and I can try to find the entrance.” Behind him, Hunk frantically waved his arms in disapproval, not on board with the idea.

“The lion has a sonic cannon,” Ulaz pointed out. “Keith can blast a hole.”

“I don’t actually know how to use the cannon,” Keith said awkwardly.   

“This is what I meant by you can’t unlock the secrets of the lion,” Ulaz said, his tone like a reprimanding mother. “Fine. Lance and Hunk will try to find an entrance and retrieve the lion.”

As soon as Lance and Hunk left the lion, Ulaz turned to Keith. He looked more serious than Keith had ever seen him looking before and his eyes seemed to have darkened. While his eyes were previously a bright yellow, now they were a dull, darker color. No, not dull. They were sharp, keen. But Keith could tell that he was hiding something. But he couldn’t be hiding anything too bad, right? After all, he was trying to help them. _Right?_

“Listen, Keith. Do you understand how important this is?” 

Keith nodded, glancing over at Pidge and Shiro. Pidge was distracted trying to understand the various controls and meters, and Shiro was staring at a wall blankly. Keith wondered if he was alright.

“Yes. I know you will take it seriously. You need to understand that this is more important than anything else. You, more than anyone else, will understand it.”

“Why me?” Keith asked.

Ulaz hesitated. “It does not matter. You will find out eventually.”

“Find out what?”

“You will find out,” Ulaz said again. “When the time comes. Now is not the time. It will just distract you.”

“Find out what?” Keith whispered. 

For the first time, Ulaz looked torn. “Keith, you… no. I can’t tell you. I will not. Do not ask me again.”

Keith was uneasy. His intuition had been right in sensing Ulaz was hiding something, and now Keith was almost certain it was something to do with him. But what could Ulaz know about him that he didn’t already know? That lead to Keith thinking about what it could be. Ulaz had said it would distract him, which probably meant that it was something big. He had also said Keith would find out when the time came, which might have meant that it was something to do with his destiny, again. On the other hand, Ulaz said Keith would understand the importance of this mission more than anyone else, so could it be something about him, not his destiny?

“Ulaz, tell me.”

“Stop asking me. It was a mistake mentioning it. Clear your head and forget about this. Just remember that you were born to join us in this mission.”

Ulaz was about to say something else, but he closed his mouth and turned away, swimming over to stand beside Pidge.

Keith stared after him, confused, but he didn’t press further. So, he sat in silence until he saw a shape emerging out of the darkness ahead of them, coming around the side of the mountain. It was a lion, almost identical to the blue lion but yellow instead of blue. 

“And, Keith?”

“Yes,” Keith said.

“I’m sure you were wondering why I refer to you by your first name.”

It was like Ulaz had read Keith’s mind. In fact, Keith was more than a little unnerved by it.

“In Altea, it is considered polite to refer to people you aren’t close to by their surnames, or their middle names. I call you by your first name before I knew your mother.”

Keith froze. “My… my mother?”

Ulaz nodded gravely. “I was close to her before her death.”

Death. Keith had never considered the possibility that his mom was dead. He knew she abandoned him, but her death… “My mom is dead?”

“I thought you knew.”

“I don’t know anything about her.”

Ulaz fixed his stare on Keith and there was something in his eyes that was pained. “Yes. Your mother is dead. But I was close to her before it.”

Suddenly, the screen in front of Keith flickered to life, and a grainy red image formed on it. As the image became clearer, Keith could see Hunk sitting in the pilot’s chair, a helmet on his head. He was saying something but no audio was coming out. Hunk started mouthing the same thing over and over, and pointed to his head. _Need helmet,_ he was saying. Maybe Keith needed the helmet to communicate. But where did Hunk get it?

“There,” Pidge said, pointing at a corner of the cockpit and bending over to pick something up. She swam over to Keith and held it out to him, revealing the object to be a helmet. “Put it on.”

Keith pulled the helmet on.

 _“Finally!”_ Hunk’s voice filled his ears. It was slightly distorted, but there was no doubt it was him. _“We got the yellow lion. Now what?”_

“We find another one,” Keith said.

_“Duh. But which one?”_

Ulaz leaned over Keith’s shoulder, looking at the screen. “Green. It’s the closest.”

According to the map, the green lion was in the Gulf of Guinea, so Keith directed the lion in that location. He could see the yellow lion following close behind.

_“You know, it’s kinda weird. It doesn’t feel like I’m piloting the lion, it feels like I am the lion. We have a mental bond.”_

Keith didn’t look up from where he was scanning the control panel for any controls he may have missed. What Hunk said was intriguing, though. Keith didn’t feel anything like that. Though it wasn’t difficult to pilot the lion, he didn’t feel connected to it. There was no bond between them. As if in agreement the lion rumbled around him, making Shiro look around uneasily. It was as if the lion was saying, _don’t overstep your welcome. This is temporary._

He shifted in his chair, stretching his tail out. The chair wasn’t comfortable to sit on and Keith was constantly worried that he would be thrown out of it when the lion put on a burst of speed.

Keith turned around to glance at Ulaz. “Is all this stuff waterproof?”

Shiro answered before Ulaz could, sarcastic. “What do you think?”

“Point taken.” Keith faced the front again. The cockpit of the lion was filled with water and Keith was questioning how such complex equipment could be waterproof. On the other hand, this lion was essentially powered by magic, so it wasn’t such a shocking concept for the equipment to be able to survive underwater. Especially considering there were entire societies of mermaids living underwater in fully developed kingdoms.

_“Hey, honey?”_

Keith glanced at the screen. Did he hear that correctly? “Hunk, is that you?”

_“Yeah, it’s Hunk, because Hunk always calls you honey. It’s Lance, idiot.”_

Keith rolled his eyes.

_“Listen, I need to talk to you about something.”_

“What is it?”

_“It’s about your-”_

“Stop!” Ulaz yelled. Keith, Pidge, and Shiro turned to look at him in surprise and disbelief. “Stop.”

_“Are you talking to me?”_

“Yes,” Ulaz said, his voice tight and rough, like a fraying stretched rope. He said something Keith couldn’t understand, which must have been in another language. The language was unfamiliar. It didn’t sound human. There were no human syllables in it and when Keith tried to imitate it under his breath his mouth couldn’t form the sounds.

 _“How does a Galran know Altean?”_ Lance’s voice was amused. He seemed to be oblivious to Ulaz’s panic.

Ulaz said something else with an increased urgency. Now Lance’s voice was hollow, and he replied in the same language.

Ulaz replied, and then switched to English. “Do you understand?”

_“Yes.”_

“What is it?” Keith asked. “Is there seriously something else you haven’t told me?”

_“Trust me.”_

“But you-” Keith didn’t get a chance to finish the sentence because Lance already switched off the comm. After a second, it turned back on. Apparently, Lance forgot that the two pilots of the lions still had to communicate with each other.

A minute later, the lions arrived at the location of the green lion.

“Your time to shine, Pidge,” Shiro said, putting a hand on her shoulder. “Go on. The lion is waiting for you.”

She nodded slowly.

When Pidge returned in the green lion, the first thing Keith noticed was that it was significantly smaller than the yellow and blue lions.

Pidge’s image appeared on the screen. _“This lion is smaller, but still so cool! I’ve already figured out the controls and I think I can make a few modifications that will improve it a lot.”_

“Is it difficult to fly it?” Keith asked, knowing that Pidge had never flown a plane before, let alone a magical flying lion.

_“It’s actually really easy. It’s like what Hunk said – it feels as if I am the lion, you know?”_

“Blue, I think we’re doing something wrong,” Keith muttered to the lion. The lion purred faintly, but Keith couldn’t understand what it was trying to say. It was refusing to communicate with him.

Ulaz frowned and tapped the wall, leaving his hand pressed against it. “Normally the blue lion isn’t this aggressive. I don’t know why she doesn’t like you.”

“She’s not the first,” Keith said, swerving the lion to the side sharply to avoid an underwater mountain.

Ulaz was still frowning. “Maybe she… no.”

The water surrounding them was now darker and the rocks lining the mountains were larger, more dangerous. Loose, as if the smallest movement would send all the rocks tumbling down to crush the lions. Keith had to concentrate to weave the lion through the arches and small empty spaces. He spared a glance at Ulaz. “What?”

Lance’s face filled the screen. _“Maybe she’s sensing something.”_ In a jokey tone, he added, “ _Anything you haven’t been telling us?”_

“Not that I know of,” Keith said. Ulaz quickly looked away. 

Shiro spoke up, turning away from the wall to look at Keith. “Don’t start this again. He’s not going to tell you anything.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Keith protested. Shiro raised an eyebrow. “Well, maybe I was.”

 _“Where are we going now?”_ Pidge asked.

Before anyone could answer, a deafening alarm started blaring and something crashed into the side of the lion, sending it flying into the side of a mountain.

Just as Keith had imagined, the rocks began falling down, smothering the lion.

Keith jerked the lion forward, pushing it out of the trench it fell into, but his eyes were now filled with a blinding purple light and he couldn’t see anything.

“Galra,” Ulaz shouted as a laser beam was shot towards the lion. Keith moved the lion out of the way and took his hands off the controls for a second to rub his eyes. The light was gone and now he could see a vast ship looming ahead of them in the endless blackness, surrounded by fleets of tinier ships. “Shoot the lasers!”

“What lasers?” Keith yelled back, just as a laser beam exploded in front of him, starting horrible vibrations all over the lion. The lion was convulsing as if poisoned. It was helpless.

Keith had to get them out of here. He took a deep breath. This was just like the simulation, except this was real. The stakes were higher, but he could still do this. He could get them out of here.

“Use the weapons,” Shiro shouted, swimming over to the control panel and gripping Keith’s chair tightly, trying to hold on so he wouldn’t be thrown across the room. Pidge was hiding under the control panel – she knew she wouldn’t be able to help Keith, so the best plan was to make sure she was safe.

“I don’t know how!”

Keith dodged another laser beam but it was hard because the lion was still shaking. The controls were vibrating in his hands and it felt as if his bones were about to fall apart from how hard they were shaking. He gritted his teeth and tried to concentrate on avoiding the shots being shot in his direction but the lion was moving so fast that the outside was a blur of colors and unintelligible shapes.

“Just hold out a little longer! There’s a Marmora station a short distance away from here and I can get a ship there.”

Ulaz was holding on to the side of Keith’s chair to avoid being thrown across the room. His purple tail seemed to have become brighter, flashing like a distress signal.

Like a response, a huge portal suddenly opened up in front of the lion and Keith entered it. For a few seconds they were travelling through a galaxy purple tunnel, then they emerged on the other side. All the Galra ships were gone. The red, green, and yellow lions followed close behind Keith as Ulaz showed him where to go.

“Wait here,” Ulaz said. He turned to leave the lion, but he hesitated and turned back to Keith. Reaching behind him, he picked up a small object.

He swam to Keith and held out the object to Keith. It was a knife. The knife was purple and grey, and it had a strange symbol on its hilt. The symbol was the same symbol Ulaz had on his sword.

“This is for you,” Ulaz said in an odd, quiet voice.

Silently, Keith took the knife.

“It belonged to your mother,” Ulaz said, making Keith’s heart stop momentarily. “You will understand when the time comes. And…” he hesitated, his face crumpling, showing more emotion than he ever had before. He squeezed his eyes shut, and whispered, “Win this war, Keith. For your mother and your father.”

Ulaz was swimming towards the exit of the lion but Keith held a hand out to stop him. “Ulaz, wait.” Ulaz turned back to face him. “How well did you know my mom?”

“Very well. Blades should not have friends, but she was mine,” Ulaz replied quietly. “She was… she was an amazing person. The best person I have ever known. She would have been so proud of you.”

Without any further explanation, he swam out of the lion and tapped on a rock a few meters away. Instantly, a small ship materialized in front of him and he went inside it, sitting in the cockpit and switching on a button. _“Can you hear me?”_

“Yes,” they all said at the same time.

 _“I don’t have my lion yet,”_ Lance complained. “ _You’re a stealer, Keith.”_

“Stealer isn’t a word,” Keith said, staring down at the knife. It used to belong to his mother. This knife was his mother’s. He was holding a piece of her in his hands. _She would have been so proud of you._ He shook the thought out of his mind – he had to focus. They were about to go back into battle.

“ _Whatever.”_

 _“Keith’s a better pilot than you are,”_ Ulaz pointed out. _“Just wait until we find the red lion. Keith, go back in the direction we came in. I’ll hold the Galra off while you guys get the red lion, okay?”_

“Why not the black?” Shiro asked from behind Keith. “It’s more powerful, isn’t it?”

Lance spoke before Ulaz could. _“The black lion is- well, its location is highly classified but the lion won’t appear until all the other lions are activated.”_

Shiro pouted like a small child and Keith grinned at him.

“Is poor Shiro sad because he doesn’t have his toy yet?” Keith teased.

“Is little Keef tired because it’s past his bedtime?” Shiro cooed in retaliation. 

Then, the lions emerged at the other end of the portal. They were thrust into battle again, the Galra ships attacking from all directions, firing lasers at each of the lions.

The lions of Voltron split up into different directions – the yellow lion close to the surface, the green lion in the middle and the blue lion closer to the depths. They were all speeding in the same direction, towards the blinking red dot that represented the red lion on their maps.

However, Ulaz rushed back towards the Galra ships, zooming around them and allowing them to surround him.

“Ulaz,” Shiro called, panicked. “Don’t do this!”

 _“I must,”_ Ulaz said grimly. _“Work together, paladins of Voltron. The world depends on you.”_

Keith realized what Ulaz was about to do and he felt his stomach drop, a cold, clammy feeling spreading over his body. “No!”

_“Keith, there is something you must know. I cannot tell you, but you will find out someday. For that day, I wish you strength and remind you this – knowledge or death.”_

Then, Keith heard him slam a button and the sea exploded behind them.

-

Their journey was peaceful now. But there was only one thing on all of their minds – Ulaz.

He had sacrificed himself while activating his ship’s self-destruct sequence, which launched a chain reaction that destroyed the energy generators of all the Galra Empire ships, which led to the complete explosion and destruction of the Galran ships. Including Ulaz’s.

Shiro was the most distraught out of all of them. Ulaz had saved his life. And he was dead now.

“We’re here,” Shiro said, his voice empty.  

Keith glanced at him, jolted out of his thoughts. “What?”

Shiro pointed an unstable finger ahead of him.

There was an enormous Galra ship ahead of them, bigger than any ship Keith had seen before. It must have had more than several kilometers of square area and he couldn’t imagine a power source powerful enough to power this ship other than Quintessence. It was a dark purple, like Ulaz’s tail, but more menacing and threatening, with black beams and lines over it.

And the blinking red dot was right inside it. Hunk’s voice was full of fear as he spoke.

_“The red lion is in there.”_


	9. Chapter 9

“That’s not good,” Keith said.

 _“Really? That’s all you’re going to say?”_ Lance asked, panicked. “I _’m not letting you go in there.”_

“The universe depends on it,” Keith pointed out. “I have to go.”

_“Fuck the universe and fuck Voltron. The love of my life isn’t going alone into a fucking enormous Galra base.”_

Keith’s eyes widened. Love of his life? His heart was hammering in his chest and felt like it was heating up, warming up his chest. Lance’s eyes widened too, as if he realized what he just said.

_“Keith? Are you alright?”_

“I think I’m having a heart attack,” Keith managed to say. He had often heard people say they had butterflies in their stomachs, but he felt like he was covered in butterflies, perched on his limbs and fluttering around him, dancing on his skin. He could almost hear the fragile flapping of their wings in his ears and they seemed to be glowing softly, glowing softly to mirror the soaring feeling living in him.

“That heart attack, my friend, is called love,” Shiro said, a wide grin on his face.

Pidge was unamused. _“Control your heart attacks, Keith.”_

Keith took a deep breath. “Okay. I’m focused. We have to go in. I think I figured out how to operate the sonic cannon, so I’ll blast a hole through and we’ll-”

“No,” Shiro interrupted. “Definitely not. If we blast a hole through, they’ll know we’re here and will send another fleet after us.”

“But we need to act as quickly as possible,” Keith insisted. “Or they’ll get away with the lion!”

Shiro shook his head slowly and fixed his steady gaze on Keith. “Remember, Keith. Patience yields focus.”

Keith closed his eyes and inhaled, reminding himself that telling Shiro that he could stick his patience up his ass was a terrible idea. He needed to control his temper. “I’m not a patient person.”

“Then turn yourself into one.”

“I can’t change who I am.”

Shiro sighed deeply. “Think of it this way. Your past self is dead. This is a new you. The ones who can be reborn as many times as necessary are the strong ones.”

Keith took another deep breath.

Patience yields focus. Patience. Patience.

His eyes flew open. “I’ve got it. You all will act as back-up while I go in to retrieve the lion. Pidge, you can remote control their systems, right?”

Pidge narrowed her eyes in thought, her pupils flitting to the side. “I might. Yeah, I can do it. Give me a few minutes.”

“Pidge will cause a distraction and shut down their systems temporarily so I can reach the lion and get out of there,” Keith explained. “Then we can directly start on our way to the black lion, so we should all set course now.”

He peered closely at the screen. “Why isn’t the black lion here?”

 _“You need to input the coordinates,”_ Lance said. _“Listen carefully. The coordinates are 60.25, 65.46.”_

“Wait,” Shiro said. “Isn’t that the Arctic sea?”

_“It is.”_

As soon as Keith input the coordinates, he swam over to the door of the cockpit.

“Be careful,” Shiro called after him.

“I’ll try.” As he swam out of the lion, the coldness of the water instantly hit him and he shivered - the blue lion was emitting icy waves of coldness.

_“Keith? Can you hear me?”_

“Yes. What is it?”

_“Nothing, I wanted to check if the comm is still working out of the lion.”_

“How will you communicate with Shiro if I have the helmet with the comm in it?”

_“He can use the lion’s backup comm system. He already fired it up, in fact.”_

“That’s good. I’m about to go in.”

 _“Wait, Keith.”_ Lance sounded terrified, more terrified than Keith felt. _“Don’t die.”_

Keith snorted. “Thanks for those motivational words.”

_“This isn’t a joke. Please, please be careful.”_

“I will,” Keith assured him. He continued swimming towards the Galra ship, ignoring the prickles of ice on his skin that faded away as he moved further away from the lion. As he neared the ship enough to see the entrance, a huge open gateway at the far right end of the ship.

He stopped swimming. The entrance was full of Galra soldiers, unpacking and carrying loaded boxes in to the ship.

“How am I going to get inside the ship? The entrance is swarming with Galra.”

 _“Shit,”_ Lance said. “ _I didn’t think of that. I’m going to have to come with you.”_

Before Keith could question why Lance was coming, Lance was swimming out of the yellow lion and over to Keith.

“Look,” Lance said in a low voice, pointing at the entrance of the ship. “They’re carrying boxes. I’ll shapeshift into a Galra and you can hide inside a box. I’ll carry you in and back you up while you find the red lion.”

Keith nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

“Then give me a moment.”

Lance closed his eyes, clearly concentrating. After a few seconds, his skin turned to a pale lilac and his brown hair turned dark purple. He grew taller, taller than Keith by several inches and his body was suddenly much more muscular than it was before. When he opened his eyes, his pupils were bright yellow.

“Wow,” Keith breathed. “You look horrifying. I’m kind of turned on by it.”

“Should I be concerned?” Lance asked, his voice gruff and husky. “Oh my God, my voice.”

“I’m definitely turned on,” Keith said, experimentally running a hand along Lance’s arm. It was definitely more muscular than usual. His skin seemed rougher as well and was covered in a thin layer of fur. _Fuck, am I a furry?_

“Once you’ve finished feeling me up, should we go?” Lance said meaningfully. “I really don’t want your friends to catch us doing something inappropriate again.”

Keith smirked. “Inappropriate, huh?”

Lance’s blush was purple too.

“Well,” Keith continued, sliding his hands up to Lance’s shoulders. “They’ll just have to deal with it, won’t they?”

“Fuck, Keith-”

Keith reached upwards to wind his arms around Lance’s neck, pulling their foreheads together. They were both breathing slowly, almost holding their breaths. Lance smelt different as a Galra – somehow, he smelt more dangerous. It set Keith on edge. Something about Lance like this was both attracting and repelling him – something primitive in Keith was uncomfortable with him.

“What’s wrong?” Lance murmured.

Keith pulled away. “Let’s get this over with as quickly as possible.”

Lance looked confused. “Did I do something?”

“No- yes, but it’s not you. It’s you as a Galra. It’s unsettling,” Keith muttered.

“Oh. What does it feel like?”

“It’s strange,” Keith said. “It’s like we’re two magnets and we’re both the north pole. We’re repelling each other naturally, no matter how hard we push to get closer to each other.”

“Oh.” Lance’s expression was strange now. “That’s exactly how I felt when I first met you. That’s… that’s weird.”

Keith was quiet for almost a minute. Then, he said, “You don’t feel like that anymore, do you?”

Lance furrowed his eyebrows. “It’s like you’re both the south and north pole. Something’s pulling me to you but also pushing me away. I guess I got used to it.”

It wasn’t the greatest news for Keith to find out that his boyfriend was partially repelled by him, but some things were just out of his control. And if Lance chose to be with him despite that feeling, it just showed how he really did love Keith. So, Keith wasn’t too bothered. But it was disconcerting, all the same.

“There,” Lance said suddenly. “There’s an empty box there.” They shot across the short distance to the box and Keith went inside it, curling up into a small ball. Curling his tail to fit into the tiny space proved to be agonizing but he bit his lip and willed himself to stay quiet.

As soon as he entered the box, he realized that he forgot the knife in his lion. _Fuck._

“You alright in there?” Lance whispered as he carried the box with Keith in it across to the entrance.

“Don’t talk to me, they will question it,” Keith hissed. Lance didn’t reply so he assumed Lance had heard him.

The box started shaking as if it were being tossed around.

“I have not seen you around here,” a deep scratchy voice was saying.

Keith knew that Lance’s voice would have become higher if his Galra voice box allowed it. However, his voice was steady, almost confident, as he said, “I’m new. Just been transferred.”

“What is your ship code?” the Galran questioned sharply.

Keith held his breath, certain that Lance was caught. However, Lance had a reply. “I’m not a pilot.”

“We are all pilots,” the Galran said.

“Believe me, if you saw my flying skills you wouldn’t want me near a ship. I’m a technician.”

Keith wasn’t sure if the word flying applied to driving an underwater ship. But after all, the ships the Galra used were basically just underwater planes, so maybe it did make sense.

The other Galran made a displeased sound. “Get that box to where it is supposed to be and go to the main control room. The systems are down.”

“Vrepit sa,” Lance said, his accent shifting to something more inhuman. The words must have been in Galran, and though Keith had never heard them before, somehow a definition flashed in his mind. It was a salute.

“Vrepit sa,” The other Galran barked back. Then the box started moving again and Keith assumed Lance was carrying him inside the ship.

After a few minutes, Lance whispered, “We’re in.” and the lid of the box opened. Keith swam out of it gratefully, stretching out his tail and wincing when he heard a loud cracking noise.

“That doesn’t sound good,” Lance said.

“It doesn’t matter,” Keith replied. “It won’t break.”

“It might.”

“I have to go.”

“Good luck,” Lance whispered as Keith rushed off into the shadows, making his way along the long, dimly lit corridors. These corridors vaguely reminded Keith of the Oracle.

He didn’t know where the lion was, and he couldn’t run around all day trying to find it.

_Patience yields focus._

Shiro’s voice rang in Keith’s ears.

_Patience yields focus._

“Patience yields focus,” Keith whispered to himself. He had to be patient. It would come to him eventually.

And like magic, it did. He sensed waves of energy being emitted from some point in the distance. He wasn’t sure how far away it was, but it was enough. That was definitely the red lion. He could feel the lion’s impatience. It was like the lion was saying, _come find me._

“I’ll find you,” Keith said aloud, continuing along the corridor and breaking into a run as he felt the waves getting stronger.

He turned a corner and crashed into a fully armed Galra soldier.

“Hey!” the soldier yelled.

Keith did the first thing he could think of – he smashed his fist into the soldier’s face and the soldier dropped like a puppet whose strings had been cut. Without thinking, he grabbed the soldier’s laser gun and ran down the corridor, glancing behind him to make sure no one was following.

_Patience yields focus._

He charged in the direction of where the strongest energy waves were, running in a straight line though he knew it would be smarter to run in a zig-zag in case there were any Galra soldiers after him. He couldn’t afford to turn around and look behind him.

Then he reached a wall.

_Patience yields focus._

There was a small, circular black screen in the center of the wall. There was a shape of a handprint. Though he knew it was probably a bad idea and he knew the handprint would only allow Galra signatures, Keith reached out and placed his hand on the screen.

BEEP. The light flashed green and a soothing female voice stated, _Access granted._

The wall slid open to reveal the red lion. Keith instantly forgot his confusion surrounding the black screen.

The lion was sitting regally, its head turned to look straight ahead. It was a vibrant, brilliant red and its eyes were looking downwards as if it had been anticipating Keith’s arrival. Keith swam to it as fast as he could.

“Bingo,” he whispered. “Let’s get out of here.”

However, the lion didn’t move to let him in. _Is this normal?_

“Open up,” Keith said. The lion didn’t open. “It’s me. Keith. Your buddy.”

The lion wasn’t budging and he was getting frustrated.

Then, his comm flickered on. It was Lance. _“Keith, you need to earn its respect.”_

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Keith said, facing the lion. “Do you have any idea what I’ve been through? No, you’ve just been sitting here like a king all day while I had to fight off an entire fleet of Galra ships on my own! Is that not good enough for you?

No reaction.

Keith stomped his foot on the ground. “It’s me! Keith, your- I am your paladin!” He was yelling now.

He had been through so much in a single day and he knew it was about to get a hundred times worse, but the lion wasn’t cooperating.

_“Bond with it, Keith. Yelling at it isn’t going to work.”_

“I’m bonding with you!” Keith yelled at the lion. The lion didn’t seem to agree with him. “Hey! Come on! We’re connected!”

He hit his fists on the metal of the lion, ignoring the pang of pain it shot up his nerves. “You’re not getting this, lion!”

All of a sudden, he heard a loud siren. The siren was wailing, “Intruder! Intruder! Intruder!” over and over again. When Keith glanced behind himself, he saw a group of Galra soldiers running down the corridor towards him. But he was right next to the lion now– he couldn’t afford to run away and get further from it.

He would have to fight them off.

Spinning around, he fired his gun aimlessly towards the group of soldiers. He only hit one and the rest of the laser beams ricocheted off the walls, almost hitting him. That wouldn’t work.

Carefully, he aimed the gun at the tallest soldier and fired a continuous stream of laser beams. The soldier collapsed and Keith turned the gun on the next soldier, but the soldiers had caught up to him by now and they were surrounding him, their guns pointed at him. If this was an action movie he would have a snarky remark to make as he beat up all the soldiers, but this was real life and a snarky comment was the last thing on Keith’s mind.

Letting his instincts take over, he stopped firing the gun. Instead, he swung it around and crashed it into the stomach of a soldier, who bent over, clutching his stomach. He threw his head backwards to hit the nose of another soldier and hit them with the back of his elbow, landing several blows on their chest. While both soldiers were doubled in pain he fired shots at both of them, effectively ending their struggle.

But there were even more Galra coming now. He didn’t have time to breathe before he was fighting another soldier, grabbing him and pushing him towards another Galra to knock both of them over. He snatched one of their guns while they were distracted and threw the gun at another Galra, hitting them on the head and drawing a stream of blood pouring down their head. They stumbled and collapsed, clutching their head.

Keith must have been hit several times because his skin was sweltering and his vision was hazy, but he couldn’t fail now. He could feel blood trickling down his own forehead and his head was throbbing excruciatingly but he couldn’t give up now.

He was so close.

_Patience yields focus._

_How the fuck can patience help me now_ , he thought to himself as he smashed his gun into another soldier’s head and then fired a few shots at the numerous soldiers approaching as back-up. One of the soldiers fired right at his arm and it hit, sending shock waves of agony up his nerves. It felt like his arm was on fire and his eyes teared up from the pain. His skin was bubbling and he couldn’t bear to look at his arm to see if the skin was melted off.

Shiro’s voice was reproachful in his mind. _You need to focus. You are distracted. Stop thinking of me and fight._

Fight.

Focus.

_Patience yields focus._

Keith gritted his teeth and dropped his gun. This would be a lot easier if the red lion was helping, but clearly that wasn’t happening. He was going to have to take control of the lion himself.

 _Patience._ He took a deep breath.

There were no more soldiers left surrounding him but there was another new group running down the corridor towards him, advancing on him.

 _Focus._ He closed his eyes and searched the surroundings for the energy signature of the lion. Then he felt it.

He held on to the energy as if it were something physical. Holding it and stopping the lion from pulling away from him was incredibly difficult and sweat was dripping down his forehead, falling into his open wounds and making them sting. He clenched his jaw to stop himself from crying out and focused on shaping the raw energy into something that would save him from this situation. His arm was hurting even worse now and it was unbearable.

As the closest soldier was aiming his gun at Keith, a deafening roar echoed through Keith’s head.

The roar was agony to his aching head and he lost his hold on the lion’s energy, dropping down to the ground and clutching his head. It didn’t matter, because he had already activated the lion and it was moving to stand up, the heat waves emitting from it boiling the water and making the Galra soldiers scream in pain. Somehow, Keith was immune to it. The lion formed a shield around him, protecting him from the heat currently boiling the soldiers.

When all the soldiers were dead on the ground and the water cooled back to its normal temperature, Keith turned to the lion.

The lion was now crouched on the ground, its mouth open to allow Keith access to the cockpit.

“Good kitty,” Keith said. “Let’s roll.”

-

When Keith flew back to the rest of the lions, the first thing he noticed was that Lance wasn’t there.

“Where’s Lance?”

 _“We thought he was with you,”_ Pidge said.

Fear crept into Keith. “Is he answering on the comms?”

_“No.”_

“Fuck,” Keith said, turning the lion around to fly it back towards the Galra ship, which didn’t seem to notice the absence of the red lion. The ship was so big that a scuffle at one end of it wouldn’t register on its systems, which Pidge assured him were still not working.

_“What are you doing?”_

“Getting Lance,” Keith said.

_“You can’t crash into the ship and search it until you find him! We need an actual plan.”_

“That’s exactly what I’m going to do.” Keith powered the lion forwards. The lion was just as reckless and impatient as he was and it seemed to be itching for a good fight. Flying the red lion wasn’t like flying the blue lion. He understood what the others meant now – they were connected. He knew what every single button on the control panel did and he knew what the lion was thinking.

Though the lion didn’t know Lance, it understood how Keith felt about him and it magnified Keith’s anguish back to him so they were both sharing his fear.

“Stop it,” Keith muttered. “You’re a giant mechanical lion, why are you scared?”

The lion stopped reflecting Keith’s fear and Keith sighed in relief. His own fear was bad enough – doubling it was horrible.

“Now,” he said, pressing the button that would bring up the map, “Pull up Altean heat signatures.”

Instantly, a blue dot appeared on the map right where the center of the ship would be.

Keith groaned. “Really? How the hell did Lance manage to get himself to the center of the ship?”

 _“That does seem like something only Lance could do,”_ Hunk agreed, “ _but now we need to get him out. I’m trying not to panic but I’m this close to absolutely losing it because, oh my god, my best friend is trapped in a Galra ship, and oh no I’m panicking now.”_

“Stop panicking,” Keith said. “I’ll get him out.” He scanned the control board for the button that would activate the lion’s weapons systems and when he found it, he slammed his hand down on the button. Instantly, the lion opened its mouth and fired a red laser directly at the Galra ship, which split off into three separate beams.

As soon as the beams hit the ship, there was a small explosion and a triangular shaped hole was left in the side of the ship.

A stunned Galra guard stared at the lion, his mouth dropped open. He didn’t have time to run and alert the others about the breach before Keith shot another laser, widening the hole and destroying the guard.

“Good job, Pidge,” Keith muttered to himself, pushing the joysticks forward to fly the lion into the ship. Because Pidge had disabled the systems, the main alarm wasn’t activated. He supposed the intruder alarm that had sounded earlier wasn’t connected to the main power systems.

The lion wasn’t as large as the blue and yellow lions and the corridors were wide enough that the lion fit inside. However, it was a tight fit and Keith knew this wasn’t going to work. With some difficulty, he turned the lion around and flew it back out of the ship, flying it over the ship instead until the map showed that he was directly above Lance.

The lion opened its mouth again and Keith twisted it around to aim it at the roof of the ship. He would have to hope the blast wouldn’t injure Lance, because there was no other way.

This laser beam was thicker and brighter than the previous one, and it caused a much bigger explosion that left Keith’s ears ringing. Maybe the lion chose this laser because the roof was thicker. A huge hole was left in the roof, exposing the control room below. There were dozens of computers scattered around on the ground, knocked over by the impact of the laser, and there were many Galra soldiers, at least twenty. Keith swallowed hard. He couldn’t spot Lance.

He flew the lion down into the control room and activated the laser again. He was about to sweep it around in a single murder blow when he realized he might accidentally hit Lance. However, one soldier threw off his helmet to reveal himself as Lance, albeit a much more purple and Galra-like Lance. He waved his arms and pointed around the room, then ducked under a table.

Now he could do it. Keith swept the laser across the room in a single stripe, cutting each Galra cleanly across their waist line. The lion swooped down into the wreckage and carnage, crouching on the ground and opening its mouth to allow Lance to enter.

Lance rushed in and sighed, shifting back into his Altean form. Keith sighed in relief. The strange repelling feeling was gone. “This lion is too hot. I like Blue better.”

The red lion grumbled in displeasure. Keith crossed his arms. “I think you hurt his feelings.”

“Sorry, Red,” Lance said. “So you managed to gain its respect.”

Keith scowled. “After he almost let me get killed.”

Just as Lance opened his mouth to reply, something crashed into the side of the ship and the red lion was spinning away from the rest of the lions, away from the Galra base.

Keith groaned. “Please, not this again.”

To his horror, the Galra base was now facing him, its cannons pointed towards him.

All the cannons fired simultaneously and Keith sent the lion into a barrel roll to avoid the weapons. The lion was flying upwards now, almost breaking the surface of the water, and he pushed the joysticks forward to dive back into the depths of the water. Lance grabbed the back of Keith’s seat to hang on as Keith dodged the cannons. A sudden surge of adrenaline was keeping Keith from feeling any pain but he dreaded the thought of what it would feel like when the adrenaline wore off.

“Shoot them back,” Lance shouted. “Don’t run away!”

“I’m pretty busy right now,” Keith said. In concentration, he was holding his breath and his lungs were desperate for oxygen. His vision was swimming and he shook his head, trying to clear his mind. He knew Lance was right – he couldn’t keep running away. Turning the lion to face the Galra base, he fired the lasers again but they weren’t doing anything – the base was too big. Somehow, he had to destroy the entire base at once.

Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation. The energy waves he had controlled earlier were melding into the form of an idea. He realized the lion was speaking to him.

 _The gas tank._ He had to blow up the gas tank. He didn’t know where the gas tank was, but the lion was guiding him to dive deeper into the depths. He was under the base now and he could see the gas tank stuck to the underside of the base.

“Hold on,” Keith said to Lance, who obediently gripped the chair tighter. He would have to act quickly so he didn’t get blown up along with it. Taking a deep breath, he shot directly at the gas tank. Immediately, he pushed the joysticks downwards, as far forward as it could go, and they were going deeper and deeper into the water. Behind him, he heard a thunderous explosion that generated powerful waves, pushing them even deeper.

Finally relaxing, Keith turned to Lance.

Lance frowned. “How are you conscious?”

“What?”

Lance gestured around them. The water outside the lion was pitch black. The only light was coming from the lion and it was tinted dark red, ominous. “Do you have any idea how deep we are? No human should be able to go this deep without passing out.”

“I think the lion has a protective shield around me,” Keith suggested as Lance went over to look out of the windows, tapping on the glass to see how thick it was. “Inside the base it boiled the Galra to death but nothing happened to me.”

Lance spun around to face Keith, a shocked expression on his face. “Boiled to death?”

Keith nodded.                                                                                                                           

Lance shuddered, shrinking away from the walls of the lion as if they would burn him. “That’s horrible. Nobody deserves to die like that.”

Keith nodded again, looking down at the ground in guilt. He wasn’t the one that did it but he should have stopped the lion. Sighing, Lance swam over to sit on Keith’s lap and rest his head on Keith’s shoulder, and Keith gingerly put his arms around him. Eventually Lance relaxed into his arms and Keith gently stroked his hair, closing his eyes, feeling how messy it was after a full day of action.

A full day.

Keith’s eyes snapped open. “Lance. The Quin-formula.”

Almost sleepily, Lance said, “What about it?”

Keith shook Lance. “The Quin-formula. I think it’s going to wear off soon.”

Lance was wide awake now and he jumped off Keith, rushing over to the corner of the cockpit where there was a black box. Swearing under his breath, he threw objects out of the box as he tried to find the tube containing the Quin-formula. After a minute he turned to Keith, his eyes wide and panicked. “It’s not here!”

Keith felt his throat closing up in fear, but he willed himself to remain calm. “It’s alright. I’m sure there’s still time left to go find the black lion.”

“No! You’re still running on Quin-formula from when we first got the blue lion!”

Lance’s voice cracked and he searched through the contents of the box again with growing desperation. “We’re going back up.”

“We can’t,” Keith said. “We need to get the black lion.”

“The others can go get the black lion.”

“But what if we need to form Voltron as soon as they get the black lion?”

“There’s no Voltron if you drown to death,” Lance said, his terrified voice echoing through the cockpit. “Pull the lion up, we’re going back.”

“No.”

Huffing, Lance swam over to the chair and grabbed the joysticks himself, pulling them upwards. To Keith’s shock, the lion accepted the command and shot upwards. This was so unfair. The lion demanded for Keith to prove himself before he accepted him and only accepted him just as Keith was about to get killed, but he accepted Lance instantly.

When they reached the water near the surface again, they saw the other lions gathered around the rubble of the destroyed base.

 _“About time!”_ Shiro’s angry voice blasted over the comm. _“We thought you both died!”_

“There’s no time for this, Keith’s about to die!” Lance was still controlling the lion and flying it away from the rest of the lions.

_“What do you mean, he’s about to die?”_

“He needs more Quin-formula,” Lance said.

“We can’t turn back,” Keith insisted. “Altea is too far away.”

“I’ll open up a wormhole.”

“You can’t make one powerful enough to transport the lion.”

“Then I’ll go through it myself and get the formula.”

“No,” Keith refused. “Can’t you do some mermaid magic that allows me to breathe underwater? And have a tail.”

“I can try,” Lance said doubtfully. “But it might go wrong. It’s Quintessence, so it can end up going very badly.”

 “What’s the worst that can happen?”

Lance winced. “Let’s not talk about that. Are you sure you want me to try?”

“As long as it doesn’t hurt you, I’m fine with it.”

“Fine.” Lance closed his eyes and his Altean markings began glowing, surrounding his head with a thin halo of blue sparks. As Lance’s face tightened in concentration, the sparks flew towards Keith, surrounding his own head in a spinning ring of Quintessence. It felt as if an elastic band was fastened around his head and there was a strong squeezing sensation.  

Then he felt an explosion of energy in his body, sending his blood pumping and shock waves down his limbs. His arm started hurting again and he winced.

Lance’s face was much paler, a pasty grey, and his cheeks were sunken in, leaving his cheekbones clearly visible. In a weak voice, he said, “Did that hurt?”

“It’s the arm,” Keith said through his teeth, looking up at the roof of the lion and forcing himself to not scream in pain.

Lance looked at Keith’s arm and his expression turned to pure horror. “Keith! Oh, fuck! How the fuck are you not screaming in pain right now?”

“It’s not too bad,” Keith said, taking deep breaths and finally allowing himself to look at his arm. The skin around the wound was black and burned to a crisp, but the wound itself was a vivid red, his exposed flesh blistered and bloody. He was pretty sure the muscle itself was split too because his bone was visible, a sickly shade of reddish-yellow covered in flakes of burnt skin.

Lance let out an inhumane screech. His face was turning back to its normal color. “What do you mean, not too bad? This is as bad as it gets! Oh, god.” Lance covered his face with his hands. Keith put a hand on his shoulder, unsure of what to do. “No, don’t move your arm! I take it back- those Galra did deserve to be burnt to death.”

“I think that’s a bit excessive.”

“Stop talking,” Lance said, taking a deep breath. “I’m composed. I’m composed. I’m fine now. Show me, honey.” Lance bit his lip and drew Keith closer to him, inspecting the wound closely. “I don’t know if I can fix this right after I used so much energy already.”

“If you draw Quintessence from your surroundings how does that tire you out?” Keith asked. “Can’t you take more?”

“There are no living creatures around here,” Lance said. “The explosion either killed them or scared them off. To give you underwater breathing and a tail I had to use my own Quintessence.”

Keith froze. “You… you used your own Quintessence to make me stay like this? You took it out of yourself?”

“It wasn’t a lot,” Lance tried to say.

“Lance,” Keith said, his voice growing louder in his anger. “Why the hell would you use your own life force just so I can keep breathing for another 24 hours?”

“I don’t want you to drown,” Lance said, holding his chin up almost haughtily. “I don’t regret it.”

“I can’t believe this!” The words were close to a yell. “You used your life force so I can breathe underwater for 24 hours. Life force for 24 hours.”

“You could have died in those 24 hours!”  

Keith threw his arms around Lance, kissing him hard. Lance returned the kiss eagerly, careful not to touch Keith’s injured arm. “I love you so much. Don’t ever do that again.”

“If that’s what it takes to save you I’ll do it a million times,” Lance’s lips were cold against Keith’s. Keith wondered why his body was so cold. It must have something to do with his sudden panic – his body temperature had dropped in his fear. Breaking the kiss, he pressed his fingers to Lance’s markings. They were cold as ice. Keith snatched his hands back. 

“You’re so cold,” Keith whispered.  

“Not when I’m with you.”

The comm crackled to life. Shiro’s voice was tense. _“I’m sorry to interrupt you, but we need to leave now. The Galra Empire definitely knows that we have the lions now and we need to get the black lion as soon as possible.”_

With one last kiss, Keith sat back down in the pilot’s seat and Lance slunk out of the red lion, swimming to the blue lion and going inside it.

The blue lion roared to life. They were ready.

_The black lion is waiting._


	10. Chapter 10

The Arctic sea was colder than anywhere Keith had ever been, including the fridge he got stuck in when he was three-years-old. Even though his lion’s element was fire and its interior was warmer than the other lions, the cold still seeped in. The other lions’ eyes were covered in layers of frost and Keith was sure his was the same.

The Arctic sea was no place for a lion of fire.

“ _Tyger, Tyger, burning bright,_ ” Pidge said abruptly.

“What?” Keith said, confused.

“ _It’s a poem. Your lion is the only thing keeping us from freezing to death right now. Look at you – the lion is glowing. It’s like you’re on fire.”_

“Are you joking?” Keith asked disbelievingly. There was no way his lion was emitting any heat right now – he was freezing inside it. He couldn’t see any light, either. “It’s freezing in here.”

“ _If it’s freezing in the fire lion, what do you think it’s like in our lions?”_

Keith shuddered at the thought of how cold the others must be and took a moment to be grateful that his lion was keeping him warm as best as it could.

“ _Imagine poor Lance_ ,” Pidge added. _“His lion is the ice lion.”_

Just the thought of Lance stuck alone in the freezing lion, his teeth chattering and his skin blue, was enough to make Keith feel sick.

Weakly, Lance’s voice came over the comms, barely audible. _“Y-y-yes, p-poor Lance.”_

“Oh, Lance,” Keith said, his own voice strained and anxious. “I’m sorry I can’t be with you right now.”

There was a notable pause before Lance whispered, “ _Me too.”_

He had to do something to help Lance – Lance, who had lived in Altea his whole life, where the water always had a tropical warmth. Alteans weren’t built to deal with the cold. An idea formulating in his mind, he reached over to the control panel to fire up the laser, the thinner and lighter one.

He aimed it at the blue lion and hoped it would work.

_“Uh, K-Keith? W-what are y-you d-d-doing?”_

As soon as the laser beam hit the lion, the frost covering it melted off and the lion’s eyes dulled. He knew that the blue lion worked best when surrounded by coldness but he didn’t care about that – Lance was freezing and that was more important. The blue lion was faintly glowing red.

_“Oh. That’s much better. Thank you.”_

Keith smiled, internally wishing he could hit his own lion with a laser. Finally realizing Keith was feeling cold, the interior of the lion heat up. It was now hot enough to be uncomfortable but it was better than the cold so he didn’t try to lower the heat. The lion found it amusing that Keith was now feeling too hot and Keith wondered why he was the one that was stuck with the sadistic lion. The lion clearly didn’t like this label because it growled and pawed at the water in front of it, making the other lions turn to him in confusion.

“Sorry,” Keith muttered. “But if you didn’t want to be labelled as sadistic you shouldn’t have boiled those soldiers to death.”

The lion didn’t like that either and told him in the same abstract idea way that boiling those soldiers were what saved Keith’s life.

“You could have knocked them out.”

This was Keith’s life now – arguing with a mechanical, magical lion about whether or not it was a sadist in the depths of the Arctic sea.

The lion also seemed to find that amusing.

_“Keith? Who are you talking to?”_

“Red,” Keith said. “We’re bonding.” He could almost hear the lion’s laughter.

_“Sorry I asked.”_

“You were the one who told me to bond with him!”

“ _Well, yeah.”_

“Maybe if you bonded with Blue more, you would be able to be half as good as I am.”                                                     

Lance gasped in mock offense. _“I can’t believe you would say that to me. I know you’re just jealous that I’m so much better than you.”_

“Oh, yeah?”

_“Yeah.”_

“How about a race?”

_“You’re on.”_

“ _You’re not on,”_ Shiro ordered. _“We’re here.”_

There was a castle in front of them.

It was quite similar to the castle in Altea, but it was more streamlined and futuristic. Its four towers looked like torpedo missiles and it was made out of a material Keith had never seen before. The material was stark white, standing out against the black of the surrounding water. Though they were so deep in the sea and there was no light aside from the glowing of the lions’ eyes, the castle was perfectly visible. The towers were lined with sterile blue and had no windows, only long blue rectangles that looked like opaque screens.

“It’s in there,” Keith said.

 _“What even is that?”_ Hunk asked. _“And do you think anyone lives in there, because I really don’t want to barge into an empty castle right at the bottom of the sea and find out it’s full of Galra.”_

Keith waited for Lance’s reply, since Lance was the most informed about everything related to Voltron.

However, Lance’s voice was just as uncertain. _“I actually don’t know.”_

 _“I’m going to take a wild guess and say it’s a castle,”_ Pidge said.

 _“Keith and I will go check it out,”_ Shiro said.

Lance crossed his arms, frowning. _“Hey! Who’s the one controlling the blue lion? Me!”_

 _“Sorry. I meant Lance, Keith, and I,”_ Shiro corrected. “ _The blue lion is at an advantage here because its element is ice, and the red lion is the fastest and most agile. It will be useful in an enclosed area like the castle.”_

 _“This is unfair,”_ Pidge said. _“You guys always leave me and Hunk behind. We’re not staying behind this time.”_

 _“Actually, I wouldn’t mind staying behind,”_ Hunk tried to say meekly.

 _“You’re coming too,”_ Pidge informed him. _“We’re all going, whether you like it or not.”_

“But who will look after the lions?” Keith asked. “All the lions won’t fit in there. We’ll have to explore by foot – sorry, by tail.”

“ _Nice save.”_

 _“Keith’s right,”_ Shiro said. _“We can’t leave the lions.”_

_“We won’t be in there for hours. I think we can leave them alone for fifteen minutes.”_

_“Okay,”_ Shiro said doubtfully. _“But I’m not comfortable with this.”_

“Nothing about today has been comfortable,” Keith said, glancing at his arm. He probably should have cleaned it so it didn’t get infected but he didn’t have time to do it. It was too late now, anyway. If there was a possibility of infection it would have been infected by now. Shiro grudgingly agreed, so they all swam out of their lions and to the entrance of the castle. The huge doors automatically slid open as soon as they approached them to reveal a long, dark corridor.

Hunk shuddered. “Am I the only one that thinks it’s a terrible idea to go in there? Because it’s a terrible idea. There could be Galra, there could be poisonous creatures, there could be-”

Lance interrupted him with, “We are going in.”

Though Keith wasn’t scared of the dark, he was scared of the possibility of having to fight off another wave of Galra, especially when he didn’t have full control of his right arm. As they swam down the corridor, he reached out for Lance’s hand.

“Scared?” Lance murmured.

“No,” Keith said.

He knew that Lance knew the truth, but thankfully Lance didn’t mention it. He was still thinking about the wound on his arm. The pain didn’t matter – it would fade, but what worried him was the possibility of it becoming infected and having to be cut off. It didn’t seem likely, but there could be dangerous diseases lurking down in the depths of the ocean, not to mention the Quintessence imbued in the wound because the laser was obviously made of Quintessence. The Quintessence the Galra used was purple and Keith wondered what they infused it with to make it that color. And what effect did it have?

“Your arm,” Lance said, as if he read Keith’s mind. “The wound is full of Quintessence. That’s dangerous.”

“As long as it doesn’t fall off I’ll be alright,” Keith said lightly.

Lance gave him a look.

“Oh.”

“We need to treat it as soon as possible,” Lance told him.

“Can’t you do it?”

“It would be like fighting fire with fire,” Lance said. “You can’t treat a Quintessence wound with more Quintessence.”

“Is there any non-magical way to do it?”

Lance thought for a moment. “You could cauterize the wound, but… no, that wouldn’t work because it’s a burn wound. And we’re underwater, obviously. I can’t think of anything we can do here. If we were in Altea we could treat it with the usual antiseptic but there’s no antiseptic down here.”

Keith poked the wound experimentally. It didn’t hurt. He poked it again. It still didn’t hurt. In fact, he didn’t feel anything. “I think my nerves are fried.”

Lance grimaced. “That’s not good.”

“I think that’s it,” Shiro said abruptly, pointing in front of them with his prosthetic arm. It was a large gateway into some sort of hangar. “It’s in there.”

“Let’s check it out,” Pidge said.

When they reached the hangar, the first thing Keith noticed was another pair of metallic doors on the other side of the hangar.

“The black lion is in there,” Shiro said. “I can feel its energy.”

“How do we unlock the doors?” Pidge asked. Hunk was steadily backing away from the doors, intimidated by the powerful energy the black lion was emitting, more powerful than any of the other lions. Instead of replying, Shiro swam closer to the doors. Slowly, he raised his hands and pressed them to the doors. He closed his eyes and let his forehead touch the cool metal.

“Patience yields focus,” Keith called to him.

Shiro smiled to himself. The lion would come to him. He just had to wait. For several minutes they watched Shiro stay in the same position, unspeaking. Keith was getting impatient but Lance put a warning hand on his uninjured arm, silently telling him to stay quiet.

Finally, the doors opened. The black lion was the biggest of them all. It was so big it nearly reached the ceiling, the tip of its majestic head brushing the ceiling.

“Wow,” Hunk said. “That’s even bigger than mine.”

“That’s what he said,” Lance said, cracking a wide smile. Keith rolled his eyes.

They all waited as Shiro swam inside the lion and fired it up.

 _“Get to your lions,”_ Shiro said urgently over the comm. _“The lion is sensing someone other than us.”_

They swam as quickly as they could, as if they were in a swimming competition and the prize for first place was not being killed by the Galra. When Keith entered his lion, he immediately sensed the lion’s distress.

“What’s wrong, Red?” An image appeared on the screen, a single Galra soldier swimming into the entrance of the castle. The lions were still behind the castle so the Galran didn’t see them, but the close brush left Keith anxious anyway.

“ _Uh, guys? Is Green the only one that sees that Galran over there?”_

 _“There are two Galrans,”_ Hunk corrected, “ _Yellow sees the one that’s hiding behind the rock outside.”_

 _“Does anyone see any other Galrans they’d like to mention?”_ Shiro asked. _“Because Black also only sees two.”_

“Red can’t see the second one,” Keith said.

 _“Neither can Blue,”_ Lance said. “ _We need to get out of here before they realize the black lion is gone.”_

Shiro nodded. _“No discussion needed.”_

They flew out of there, with the blue lion leading ahead and the black lion bringing up the rear. That was why Shiro was such a good leader – rather than make others follow him, he supported them and protected them, as well as lead them in a way with which all of them were comfortable.

Another image appeared on the screen – the Galran was rushing out of the castle, his purple tail much brighter than before. His ears were twitching and he was clearly in distress. Obviously, he realized the black lion was gone.

“At least they don’t know where we are,” Keith said.

Shiro furrowed his eyebrows.

“What is it?”

 _“Nothing,”_ he said.

 _“What do we do now?”_ Lance asked.

 _“We learn how to form Voltron,”_ Shiro said.

“We barely know how to fight with our lions. We should learn how to use those first,” Keith suggested.

_“Good point.”_

“And melee combat,” Keith continued, “I nearly died trying to fight off those Galra soldiers back at the Galra base. And we need a place to do it.”

 _“The castle,”_ Lance said. _“How did I not realize before? That castle is meant for the lions and their paladins. The Castle of Lions.”_

 _“Aw, come on,”_ Hunk complained. _“Do we have to go back there?”_

 _“We do,”_ Shiro said, turning his lion around. The others followed him, back in the direction they had come from.

“But the Galra know we know it exists,” Keith said. “They know where it is.”

_“Exactly. Since the black lion isn’t in it anymore they will be searching the oceans for it and they’ll never realize we’re in it.”_

“That’s a good idea.”

When they arrived back at the castle again, the Galrans were gone. They flew their lions in and parked them in the hangar, which was large enough to house all of them comfortably. Keith decided to leave his mother’s knife in the lion. He didn’t want anyone to see it yet.

With the lions safe, they decided to explore the castle. However, Shiro shut them down. “No exploring today. It’s time for all of us to go to sleep – wait. The Quin-formula. Do you think there’s any more of it here?”

“I don’t think so,” Lance said. He sighed. “I’ll handle it.”

“No,” Keith said instantly. “I’m not letting you use any more of your Quintessence. Draw it from your lion.”

“That’s actually a smart idea. I’ll try that.” Lance closed his eyes and the same blue sparks halo appeared around his face, like it had before. This time it was stronger and the sparks moved faster as they circled around the whole group of them, including Keith, spinning for a longer time than they had when Lance did it to Keith alone.

After a minute or two, the sparks disappeared.

“The lion has a lot more Quintessence to spare,” Lance said. “I think it’s infinite. That will last for longer than 24 hours. I don’t know how long it will last, but it should be at least a few days.”

“Thank you,” Keith said, leaning over to kiss Lance’s cheek.

Pidge looked at him dryly. “I’m not kissing you.”

“I wouldn’t allow you to,” Keith informed her, making Lance laugh.

“Now it’s time to go to sleep,” Shiro said, interrupting them. “There should be bedrooms somewhere but this is a living room so we might as well sleep here for tonight.”

Like Shiro said, they were currently standing in a living room with semi-circular couches arranged in a circle. A little uncomfortably, they each settled onto the couches. There wasn’t enough space for all of them to stretch out comfortably so Keith and Lance were left on the floor, with Keith’s back pressed against the couch Shiro was sleeping on. Lance waved his hand, sending a shower of blue sparks towards the ceiling, and the lights switched off.

The silence was stifling but there was nothing to do about it. Keith wished he was back in his own room in his own house – it seemed like years since he had last been in his house. But with Lance nestled against him, his head resting on Keith’s chest, he changed his mind. There was nowhere else he’d rather be than here with Lance.

Quietly, Shiro spoke. “You awake?”

“Me?” Keith whispered.

“Yes,” Shiro whispered back. “What do you think Allura is doing now?”

Lance’s eyes flew open. “Allura?”

Keith looked down at him, his eyes half closed with sleepiness. “She’s one of our friends.”

“That’s not a common name,” Lance said shortly.

“Her whole family has uncommon names,” Keith said, rubbing his eyes. “Her uncle is named Coran and her dad was named…—" Keith’s eyes widened as he realized— “...Alfor.”

Lance’s mouth dropped open.

“What is it?” Shiro asked. Pidge let out a small noise and turned on to her back. “Maybe we should talk somewhere else, so we don’t wake Pidge and Hunk.”

The trio stood up and walked out of the living room to the dark corridor. They could speak freely now.

“Are you sure her name is Allura and her dad’s name is Alfor?” Lance asked.

Shiro raised an eyebrow. “Are you saying I wouldn’t know one of my best friends’ name?”

“You know what I mean,” Lance hissed.

“Yes, one hundred percent sure.”

“I’m… oh my god. Alfor is the name of the previous king of Altea. He died over ten thousand years ago, and he had a daughter named Allura who had an adviser named Coran.”

Shiro stared at Lance in shock. “You can’t be serious.”

“Why the hell would I make this up? Describe her.”

“She has silver hair,” Keith said, “Blue eyes, tan skin. She always wears this tiara thing around her forehead… oh.” Keith trailed off as he realized that ‘tiara thing’ might have been the tiara of a princess.

“Describe the tiara,” Lance said.

“It’s golden, it has an upside down triangle in the center of it with a blue stone.”

“That’s her. This can’t be a coincidence.”

“If her dad died over ten thousand years ago then she can’t be who you think she is,” Shiro said, not taking them seriously. “She’s only twenty-three.

Lance shook his head. “Just before Alfor was killed by Zarkon he put his daughter and her advisor into cryo-pods and sent them on land so they could survive without being hunted by Zarkon. The cryo-pods were programmed to release them as soon as they stopped detecting signals of Zarkon’s activity and the war was over.”

“How long has it been since the war ended?” Keith asked as he saw Shiro beginning to understand.

“Not that long, actually,” Lance said. “Seven or eight years. How long have you known Allura?”

Slowly, Shiro said, “Seven or eight years.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry that this chapter is kind of short, but it has some important developments so I hope that kind of makes up for it? The following chapters will be longer... it's about to get intense ;)


	11. Chapter 11

The corridor seemed to have become darker. Shiro was staring into space, overwhelmed by the revelation.

“It’s her,” Lance repeated. “We need to get her here.”

“She’s thousands of miles away,” Keith reminded him.

“It will only take the lions a few minutes to get there,” Lance said. “They travel really fast.”

“It’s the middle of the night.”

“So?”  

“What if the Galra attack?” Keith asked, coming up with the best excuse he could to stop Lance from wanting to bring Allura here. He didn’t want to drag her into this.

“They have their lions to protect them.

“What if-”

“Keith,” Lance said, making him stop talking. “This is important. Another war is beginning, and it will be far bloodier than the previous one was, with all the new technology that has been developed and the resentment the Galrans harbor for the Alteans. She is the one who can stop all this. Her dad was a peacemaker and so she will be too. It’s in her blood.”

Keith and Lance both looked at Shiro to make the decision. Shiro exhaled heavily, and said, “We’ll leave first thing tomorrow.”

-

In the morning, Keith was the first to wake.

Though he expected it to be lighter, the room was still pitch black. He didn’t know why he expected it to be lighter – they were at the bottom of the ocean. Lance was still peacefully asleep on his chest. However, after a few minutes he woke too.

“I think Shiro’s awake,” Lance whispered, nodding his head towards the sofa where Shiro was stirring. Getting off the floor, he swam over to the doorway and waited there. Keith shook Shiro fully awake and they both went to join Lance by the doorway.

“We should leave now,” Shiro said, making Lance nod in agreement. “Allura should be awake by now.”

 “It’s going to be hard to explain all this to her,” Keith commented.

“Or…” Lance spoke slowly, as if he was realizing a new possibility. “She already knows and is keeping it from you.”

That made sense. “That’s… possible.” But if Lance was right, it would mean that Allura had been keeping a huge secret from them all these years. Then again, she wasn’t allowed to tell humans about Altea so it made sense that she wouldn’t tell them, especially since she didn’t know that they knew about Altea’s existence.

“Keith, you stay here with the others while Lance and I go out,” Shiro said.

“Why do I have to stay here?” Keith frowned.

Shiro looked at Keith as if he asked why he wasn’t allowed to jump into a volcano. “You’re covered in injuries. Your arm, your head – have you looked at yourself since we left the Galra base?”

“There are no mirrors,” Keith said, raising his hand to touch his forehead. When he gently scraped at it, flakes of dried blood came off and collected under his fingernails. He didn’t think that he would be able to bleed underwater but somehow the combination of the heat of the lion and the coldness of the surroundings had drawn the blood out of his wounds, not to mention the salt water speeding up the clotting process. The wound on his head must have scabbed over but he could feel the trail of dried blood on his face. He scrubbed at his face, watching the blood come off and dissolve into the water in front of him. He was lucky he was underwater – it made it easier to wash the blood off his wounds.

“You should explore the castle while we’re gone,” Lance suggested. “There must be a medical station somewhere. And bedrooms. I’m not sure I can take sleeping on the floor again – at some point I think a crab crawled into my hair.” He ran his hands through his hair, checking for the mystery crab, and held his palm out to Keith to reveal a handful of dainty seashells that had collected in his hair. “See?”

“Tell Pidge and Hunk where we went,” Shiro said, ignoring Lance’s antics.

A sleepy Pidge emerged from behind them, rubbing her eyes. Her hair was everywhere, flowing in the water and spreading out around her head like a crown. “Tell us what?”

It didn’t take long to explain everything they had discussed to her and she agreed that they needed to bring Allura here as soon as possible. Without waiting for Hunk to wake, Shiro and Lance left the castle, taking the blue and the black lions with them.

When Hunk finally woke up he looked around, confused. “Where’s Lance?” As an afterthought, he added, “and Shiro.”

“They went to get Allura,” Keith said.

“Who’s Allura?” Hunk asked, glancing from Keith to Pidge and back to Keith again. “Did I miss something?”

It didn’t take long for Keith to explain the situation to him, with Pidge interrupting periodically to mention some points she thought he left out.

“Wow,” Hunk said, dumbfounded. “This is so weird. Allura, princess of Altea, is about to come here. We’re about to meet her. I didn’t even know she was still alive.”

“You’re about to meet her,” Pidge corrected. “We already know her.”

“What’s she like?” Hunk asked. “Is she nice? Mean? Bossy? Do I need to curtsey when we meet her?”

Pidge raised an eyebrow, giving Hunk a skeptical look. “Considering you’re a man, I don’t think so.”

“You know what I mean!”

“You don’t need to worry about it,” Keith assured him. “She’s really nice. And she’s been raised as a normal human so you don’t need to bow to her. Look, that’s them.”

Allura swam through the doorway into the living room, Lance and Shiro close behind her. To Keith’s surprise, Coran was also here – he should have known they would have brought Coran too. After all, he was the oldest and wisest out of all of them and would be more knowledgeable than the rest of them. Allura’s long hair spread out into the water, floating above her head and moving like eels. Though Pidge was wearing one of the shirts she always wore when she went to the beach, insisting she got sunburnt easily, Allura was only wearing a white bikini top – it was the same top she had worn when they went on the boat trip together. Her tiara was shining.

However, the most striking thing about her was her tail. It was a bright, brilliant blue, even more vivid than Lance’s. It had fins like an angelfish, pale and white like jellyfish, and it looked as if it was covered in millions of shimmering sequins. Her scales were translucent and threw light in every direction as the light from the ceiling rods hit them. And her markings. Her cheekbones were now adorned with markings identical to Lance’s.

She smiled when she saw them. “Hi, everyone.”

“I can’t believe you never told us you were a mermaid princess,” Pidge accused, rushing to Allura to inspect her tail as if it were an interesting specimen in a museum. “This is gorgeous.”

Allura looked down at her tail and a light blush appeared on her cheeks. “Oh, thank you.” Then, she glanced behind herself at Lance. “Have you settled in to the castle yet?”

“We only arrived yesterday,” Keith said, glancing at Hunk, who was still staring at Allura in awe. He wasn’t sure if it was her tail, her beauty, or the fact that she was a ten-thousand-year-old princess. “This is the only room we’ve been in.”

“I can show you around,” Allura said, her face brightening. “There’s some amazing technology here that we don’t have on land and I’m excited to see how it works now.”

“I think we need to talk first,” Shiro interrupted, motioning for them all to sit down on the sofas. Lance sat beside Keith and put his arm around him, drawing him in to his side. Keith took his hand and Lance looked down at their entwined hands, realizing Keith was wearing the ring he gave him on his ring finger. His expression changed in silent astonishment.

Allura sighed, anticipating the question they about to ask. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I wasn’t allowed. Altea has very strict laws. Actually, I have no idea how you all found out.” She turned to Keith. “Lance told me you two met after he saved your life and, in his words, accidentally kidnapped you, but he wouldn’t have been allowed to tell you about Altea.”

Keith winced. “I forced it out of him.”

“He really did,” Lance confirmed. “Every single time we met up he would badger me to tell him about it.”

Allura frowned. “And you gave in?”

“Let’s not judge anyone here,” Hunk cut in hastily, trying to spare his best friend. “If Lance didn’t tell Keith then none of us would be here and the Galra would take over the seas without Voltron to stop them.”

“About that,” Allura said. Her voice turned sharp. “Did you form Voltron yet?”

“No,” Shiro admitted sheepishly. His cheeks were tinted red, as they always were whenever he spoke to Allura. “We thought it would be better to learn how to use the lions individually first.”

“That also makes sense,” Allura agreed, “but you also need to learn how to form Voltron, as quickly as possible. I can take over to train you all in team bonding exercises that will help you learn how to connect mentally so you can join together to form Voltron.”

“Thank you,” Shiro said. “I knew we could count on you.” He frowned and looked around. “Where’s Coran?”

Coran’s voice rung out from the next room. “Right here!”

“We should go check on him,” Allura suggested, making everybody nod in agreement and swim out of the room to the next one. The next room seemed to be an infirmary and it had several tall, glass tubes lined in a semi-circle.

Coran popped up from behind one of the tubes. “These are healing pods! You just stick yourself in one and boom, you’re healed! Though I’m not sure if they’re still working after ten thousand years…”

He trailed off thoughtfully, running his gaze over them. “Anyone with injuries- yes, Keith!” He pointed at Keith with a dramatic flourish.

“I don’t have any injuries,” Keith protested.

Lance narrowed his eyes and grabbed Keith’s uninjured arm, dragging him to the healing pods. To Keith’s annoyance, it was almost impossible to stop yourself from being dragged by someone when you were underwater – unless you held onto something, you would get pulled along for the ride, and there was nothing to hold onto in this room other than the healing pods. “You better get in that healing pod right this instant, Keith, or I swear…” Lance muttered angrily under his breath as he shoved Keith towards the healing pod in the center of the room.

Before Keith could protest, Coran slammed the door shut and he was trapped in the pod. Immediately, some gas came seeping out of tiny holes in the walls and Keith’s eyes slid shut; they were so heavy it was painful to keep them open. A tingling sensation started all over his skin and made it numb. He couldn’t move.

An eternity had passed when Coran finally let him out.

“See,” Coran announced, holding up Keith’s injured arm. But it wasn’t injured anymore. The wound had completely disappeared, leaving nothing but a faint scar to show that it had ever existed. Coran frowned and rubbed at the scar, but it didn’t disappear. “Ah, well. Scars happen. The important thing is that you’re healed.”

The wounds all over Keith’s body from the impact of the Galra soldiers’ bodies slamming into his and attacking with their swords had also disappeared.

“These are pretty cool,” he admitted, his mind still a little dazed from the gas.

“They definitely are,” Coran agreed enthusiastically. “Anyone else want to use one?”

They all shook their heads so Coran stepped away from the healing pods, almost disappointed. “The princess can show you the control room now.”

While Keith’s mind was stuck on the words ‘control room’, Shiro blurted out, “Oh! That’s why we call you princess!”

Allura laughed. “I must admit that when the nickname started I was a little worried that you knew about my heritage, but Coran assured me it was just a nickname you all seemed to have picked up somehow. Now, come on. The control room is this way.”

They followed Allura as she swam to what must be the control room. It was a huge, circular room with half the wall being made out of glass. In the center of the room there was a slightly raised platform. As soon as Allura swam onto it and the end of her tail touched the aqua surface, a hologram formed around her.

“Nice,” Pidge whispered, her mind already spinning with potential inventions she could create using the technology on which the hologram operated.

“What does a castle need a control room for?” Keith asked, a suspicion forming in his mind that this castle was more than a castle.

“This castle is not only a castle,” Allura said, confirming Keith’s thoughts. “It can transform into a submarine. An underwater ship. A base from which Voltron will operate.”

“That’s amazing,” Shiro said, stepping closer to Allura but being careful not to touch the raised platform. “Who built this castle?”

“My grandfather had a big part in it,” Coran said, eager as always. His orange tail became brighter with his growing excitement. “He built it way before even I was born – in fact, when he built it he was just six hundred years old!”

“Just?” Keith repeated in disbelief.

“That’s about the land equivalent of twenty years,” Coran added helpfully.

“We shouldn’t take off now, though,” Allura said, ignoring Coran. “Like Shiro said; we should make sure you paladins are trained in all forms of combat first, with or without your lions. Once you have mastered the lions, Voltron, and yourselves then we can launch the Castle of Lions and take on our duty as Defenders of the Oceans.”

“Defenders of the Oceans, huh?” Shiro said as they all gathered by the glass windows, staring out at the endless expanse of dark water. Home seemed millions of miles away. Though none of them said it out loud, they were all wondering if they would ever make it back alive.

“Has a nice ring to it.”

**-**

After a lengthy period of exploring, they managed to find the bedrooms, which were all lined down a single corridor near the center of the castle. There were separate bedrooms for each paladin but that posed a new problem – there was nowhere for Allura and Coran to sleep.

“I’ll sleep with Keith,” Lance said before anyone could offer any other situations, slightly too enthusiastic.

Allura looked at him wryly. “And have you two keep all of us awake at night? I don’t think so.”

Keith gasped. “Allura!”

She was already laughing and after a few seconds they joined in too. Allura was the last person anyone would expect to make dirty jokes but Keith knew her well enough to know that she had the dirtiest mind out of them all. Not including Lance, of course. The sound of their laughter made the cold, artificially lit room seem warmer and cozier.

“No, seriously,” Lance said once their laughter died down. “It will open up a bedroom.”

“You’re right,” Allura said, still looking reluctant. Then, her expression turned stern. “We need to have a talk, Lance. Just you and I.”

Keith had to stifle his laughter at Lance’s fearful expression, who was now looking at Allura as if she told him she had a hole in her backyard waiting for him. Based on Allura’s tone of voice and her fierce protectiveness towards him, he assumed it was going to be a shovel talk. He wanted to listen in but Allura herded Lance into another room and shooed Keith away when he tried to follow them. There were no raised voices heard from the other room so it was good that they weren’t yelling at each other, at least. Allura didn’t seem to like Lance much, though Keith had no idea why – Lance had been as polite as he could around her. Or had he? He had no idea what they had talked about while Lance was retrieving Allura.

It was around five minutes by the time Allura swam back into the room, a cheery smile on her face. Lance slunk behind, with red cheeks and a series of small red marks on his left wrist. Keith rushed to him to inspect his wrist. The marks were extremely visible and were in the shape of Allura’s long, sharp nails.

Keith glared at Allura. “What did you do to my boyfriend?”

“Nothing,” Allura said innocently, blinking her eyes like a toddler caught taking a cookie out of the cookie jar. “I told him to take care of you, that’s all.”

“What did she do?” Keith whispered under his breath to Lance, who shook his head almost frantically. “Dis she try to kill you?”

“No,” Lance said when Allura gave him a menacing stare. “She just told me to take care of you.”

“You even made him rehearse his lines,” Keith accused, turning back to Allura.

“Relax, Keith. I didn’t say anything too harsh.”

“Fine. But I’m not happy with this.”                                                                                                                           

“You’ll thank me when he acts nice to you for the rest of your life,” Allura said, still smiling innocently.

He was about to ask Pidge for her idea for a solution about the fact that Coran still didn’t have a bedroom to himself, but one of the words Allura used caught his attention.

“For the rest of my life,” Keith said aloud. “Not our lives.”

Allura flinched when she realized what she had just stated clearly. Keith was going to die far earlier than Lance was. He was going to grow old while Lance was still going to stay young. The day Shiro forced him to marathon all the Twilight movies he had scoffed at Bella’s panic about the fact that she was older than Edward – _“If Edward really loved her he wouldn’t care if she got old, Shiro, this movie is fucking pointless.” –_ but now he realized. He was going to be an old man and Lance was still going to physically be a teenager.

To distract himself, he turned to Pidge. “The extra bedroom?”

“I was thinking about that,” Pidge said thoughtfully. “There must be another bedroom somewhere. This is a huge castle. There can’t possibly be only five bedrooms.”

“There are more bedrooms,” Coran said, surprising all of them.

“Why didn’t you mention it earlier?” Pidge pressed her lips together in a thinly veiled sign of her irritation. “We could have been training in the time it took to deliberate this.”

“Oh, I was distracted by this.” Coran reached over to pick a small cube off the sofa. “Look!” When he squeezed it, the cube blared, _Coran Coran the Gorgeous Man._ “This was my catchphrase, back in the day. I was quite a hunk back then!”

He proudly flexed his biceps but there wasn’t much to see. He frowned. “I haven’t worked out in a while…”

Hunk, however, jolted from his spot on the sofa where he had fallen asleep in his boredom. “What? Did someone call me? Sorry for falling asleep, I was just so tired and _hungry_ and…” 

“Hunk’s right,” Shiro said, surprising all of them. “When was the last time any of us ate anything? Keith?”

“A few days ago,” Keith said nonchalantly, trying to play it off. However, Shiro looked shocked.

“A few days?” he repeated. “You need to eat, now. How are you even awake?”

“We just slept for an entire night,” Keith pointed out.

“I meant conscious. How are you functioning if you haven’t eaten for so long?”

Keith shrugged without offering a reply.

“Is there any food in this castle?” Shiro asked, looking at Coran and Allura.

“There is a kitchen,” Allura replied. “There should be something to eat in there.”

An hour later, they were all sat around a long, white dining table. Though there was a lot of space, they sat at one end of the table to be as close to each other as possible. The thing Coran had served, calling it ‘food goo’, was exactly that. Food goo. It was green, mushy, and soggy. It was possibly the most unappealing meal Keith had ever seen in his life – he would rather try to eat an iron nail than this. However, Coran promised them that it was nutritious and he needed the nutrition if he was going to train properly. Not to mention Keith didn’t know how the physics of eating food worked underwater; was there something different in the density of the water infused with Quintessence that allowed them to open their mouths to speak and eat food underwater? But this was no time to confuse himself with science that didn’t make sense anyway. They were dealing with magic here. Nothing made sense.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he lifted the spoon to shovel the food goo into his mouth. As he predicted, it tasted absolutely terrible and he heard Lance gagging beside him.

“Don’t exaggerate, my boy,” Coran said, giving Lance a hearty slap on the shoulder, making him choke on the food goo. He managed to swallow it down and he shuddered, clearly disgusted. “See? It’s not that bad!”

Keith could tell that Lance was about to let loose a torrent of filthy words, but at the sight of Coran’s earnest face he bit his tongue and said, “You’re right, Coran. It’s pretty good.”

Coran beamed, the smile spreading across his face and making his tail brighter again. “Great! I’ll make it again tonight!”

“No!” Keith yelped, shooting a death glare at Lance. “Uh, it’s too good… I don’t want us to get used to it and start hating it.”

“No worries, my boy,” Coran said. “It’s good enough that you will never start hating it!”

“Oh…” Keith trailed off, internally facepalming. “That’s great.”

Nobody wanted to tell Coran how bad the food goo was after seeing his excited reaction and they were all grimacing as they forced the food goo down their own throats. Privately, Keith thought that if they went along with Coran’s wishes every time he got excited Coran would be the new leader of Voltron, but he didn’t voice that opinion.

When the meal was over, they followed Allura to what she called the training room. However, it was just an empty room. There was nothing inside it but a single table at the far end of the room. Allura led them to the table and swept her hand towards the table. There were four objects lined on the table.

“These are bayards,” Allura told them. “They will automatically morph into whatever weapon a paladin fights best with when they pick them up.” She handed the green bayard to Pidge, the yellow one to Hunk, the blue one to Lance and the red one to Keith, turning to Shiro with an apologetic look on her face. “I’m sorry, but the black bayard was lost.”

“It’s fine,” Shiro said, trying to hide his disappointment. 

“Fighting with the bayards should be instinctive for you,” Allura continued.

“I’m not sure I have any instincts,” Hunk spoke up, looking at the bayard in his hand nervously. “Will we have to start training directly? Because I really don’t want to do that. I don’t even know how to hold this thing.”

“Let’s start with a skill assessment,” she suggested. “Shiro, you first. Assume you are in a situation in which you have no weapons.”

Obediently, Shiro walked into the center of the room and waited for Allura to start the training. After a minute of awkward silence, a hatch fell open in the ceiling and a human-shaped robot fell through, landing in front of Shiro with a loud thud. The robot was much taller than Shiro and wielded a sword in both hands, spinning them like fan blades as it neared Shiro, who swore and did a somersault to avoid getting his head cut off. He leapt upright again behind the training bot and kicked it with his tail right behind where its knees would be if it were a human. To his surprise, it keeled over as if it were a living human and Shiro thought the simulation was over.

However, as soon as he turned his back he felt something sharp and cold slice his back and he spun around, letting out a cry of pain. He ducked just in time for the bot to slice where his head would have been. Though it was only a training simulation, adrenaline was being pumped to his muscles and his heart was beating impossibly fast. He had never been in an active combat situation before and it was terrifying.

Except for one time. For a moment he forgot he was a twenty five year old adult male and he was back to fifteen.

_“Please!” he begged. “I’m only fifteen, please, please don’t do this.”_

_“Your father,” the man spit, “was a vicious, cruel, evil man who took my whole world away. I’ll take away his now.”_

_Above them, the moon stared down. He silently begged it for help._

_The man raised his arm and brought down the knife._

His robotic arm was most effective against the bot and he used it to punch the bot in the stomach before dodging another swing of his sword.

“Weapon,” Shiro yelled out, unable to say anything longer than a single word.

Allura just shook her head, but Keith could see her clenching her fists tight enough that her nails were cutting into her skin.

“I need,” Shiro gasped, sweat running down his forehead as he dodged yet another attack, too busy to go on the offense as he was desperately defending himself. “Weapon. I’m going to-”

Allura stepped forward and waved her hand, and the bot fell to the ground, switched off. Shiro exhaled in relief, about to thank her. However, she interrupted him with, “That setting was fit for an Altean toddler! Your defensive maneuvers were shameful and I don’t even want to talk about your nonexistent offense.”

Shiro stayed silent throughout the scolding, so Keith spoke up. “Allura, you’re being unfair. None of us have ever done this before.”

“It should be instinctual.” Allura was unapologetic.

“But it’s clearly not! Do you think Shiro is intentionally failing? Look at him. He’s trying his best.”

“I’m not a child you need to defend,” Shiro said coldly, releasing his anger on Keith when it became apparent that Allura wouldn’t tolerate it.  

Keith glared at him. “Shut up and appreciate this.”

“Speaking of instincts, Keith,” Allura said, turning on Keith with a sudden change of tone that made Keith fear what was about to come next, “You managed to take down a squad of Galra without any weapons. I’d say that’s instinct.”

“I had a gun,” Keith pointed out.

“But you don’t know how to use a gun.”

“It’s not that difficult.”

“It’s instinct,” Allura said. “You have the natural instincts of a fighter.” She frowned. “I don’t know why Shiro doesn’t.”

Shiro looked like the love of his life had just rejected him, which was essentially what happened. Allura had been one of his best friends for years and years, but she was now acting like they were strangers. He hoped it was just the stress she was under, because if she hated him now…

When she turned away from Shiro, though, her face fell and contorted in tortured guilt. Keith knew scolding him like that was killing her but she was forcing herself to do it for the good of the team.

“Stop arguing and continue training,” Coran said, “The Galra won’t stop attacking because a bunch of teenagers are arguing.”

“Coran’s right,” Pidge decided.

“Fine,” Allura said. “Who’s next?”

No one stepped forward, so she pointed at Keith. “Keith, you’ll go now. Activate your bayard.”

The knowledge that Allura was only doing this for the good of the team and hated forcing them to do this was the only thing keeping Keith from attacking her instead of the bot. The moment Keith looked down at his bayard, thinking of how to activate it, the bayard released a shower of yellow sparks and morphed into a sword. The sword was a bright red, nearly the same color as his lion.

“A sword?” Though Keith’s facial expression didn’t change, he was surprised but didn’t question the decision of the bayard. The bayard knew better than him what he would be best suited to use so he strode into the circle and waited for the training bot to re-activate.

As soon as the bot stood up and its blades started spinning again, he blocked the blades with his sword. He darted to the left of the bot to avoid its next attack and thrust his sword into the metal cavity where the bot’s ribs would be. The bot reacted as if Keith had gravely wounded it, stumbling backwards and letting the speed of its spinning blades slow down.

“Got you,” Keith whispered to himself, moving closer to the bot in preparation for another attack. The bot recovered and hit out with its swords again. Keith ducked to avoid them but one sword hit his cheek, making blood burst like a cut water pipe. The water prevented the blood from pouring out of the wound but the saltwater stung it even worse than it was already stinging. Though it made it more painful, he was glad he was underwater so he wasn’t bleeding. Passing out from blood loss wasn’t the best state to be in while fighting a bot.

He slashed his sword at the bot’s arm, not expecting it to do anything, but the sword sliced through the metal and the bot’s arm fell off. Jumping on the opportunity, he pushed himself forward while the bot was momentarily defenseless and cut the sword through the metal of the bot’s other arm. Both the bot’s arms were gone now and it was defenseless. Keith finished it off by stabbing the sword into the bot’s chest. The bot fell to the ground, deactivated.

Allura was staring in shock.

“Sorry I destroyed your bot,” Keith muttered, staring at the ground. A few of the scales on his tail had fallen off, scattered on the ground like rose petals.

“It can be fixed. That was amazing, Keith,” Allura said, shaking her head. “This is what I call instinct.”

“It’s not instinct.” At this point, Keith was sick of hearing the word instinct. “I went to a sword fighting class a few years ago.” He turned to Shiro and grinned triumphantly. “You said the class would be useless.”

Shiro’s facial expression was priceless, somewhere in between horror and amazement. “Keith, you…”

Lance swam forward to throw his arms around Keith, accidentally pushing them both backwards through the water to hit the wall. Keith winced, pain shooting up his back, but when Lance pulled him into a kiss he decided he could ignore the pain.

“That was the hottest fucking thing I’ve ever seen,” Lance said, his voice breathy as he leaned in to press their lips together again. “I definitely don’t want you fighting Galra if that’s how you look while doing it – they’ll kidnap you on the basis of your hotness alone.”

Keith smirked. “I’m flattered.”

“You should be,” Lance said, “the mermaid chosen one thinks you’re the hottest person alive. That’s pretty goddamn flattering.”

“I think you deserve that title,” Keith whispered.

“Keith, Lance,” Allura said sharply. “Not the time.”

Lance turned to her, letting out an exasperated sigh. “When is the time, Allura? I’m going through deprivation here.”

“The time is when this is all over.”

“That’ll be years later,” Lance complained. “I can’t wait that long.”

“Then wait until training is over,” Allura said, offering a compromise. “Flirt in your own time.”

Lance pouted. “Fine.”

Training wasn’t over until hours later. Allura made them each face the training bot tens of times, making them fight until they were too weak to hold their bayards anymore. Facing the bot the first time was bad enough – facing it while tired and unmotivated was even worse. The fifth time Keith fought the bot, the bot picked him up and threw him against the wall with all its strength, causing a loud cracking sound that echoed through the training room and made them all rush to Keith’s collapsed form in concern. None of his bones were broken but they were aching. Everyone was covered in cuts and bruises by the time training was over. They had all improved but they were exhausted. Allura told them the next day they would work on their stamina, which did not sound fun at all. Keith was not looking forward to it.

“Great job, paladins!” Allura said proudly when it was all over. “Everyone has improved immensely.”

“At what cost,” Pidge said under her breath, waiting for Hunk to get out of the healing pod so she could go in. Shiro and Lance were in the other healing pods.

“You can rest now.” Allura smiled as if it were a great reward. “We’re finished for today.”

Before Allura could change her mind, Lance grabbed Keith’s wrist and pulled him along the corridors to Lance’s bedroom.

“I like my bedroom better,” Keith complained as they went inside the room and kicked the door shut behind them.

Lance grinned at him. “Too bad, because you’re stuck here.”

“Too bad,” Keith agreed, a mischievous glint forming in his eyes. “And there’s nothing to do here…”

“I can think of something to do.”

The door burst open and Pidge burst in. Keith turned to her with a murderous glare. She frowned, backing away and holding her hands up in a gesture of surrender. “Did I interrupt something? Because I was only going to say that Allura found the paladin armor.”  

“That’s great, but I don’t care.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t say that in front of Allura.”

 “Go away.” Keith pushed Pidge out of the door. “Tell Allura we’ll look at it tomorrow.”

“Don’t have too much fun,” she called behind herself as Keith slammed the door shut.

The lights in the bedroom were not fluorescent like the hallway lights or the lights in the other rooms. They were dimmer, tinted a soft blue designed to help the person inside it fall asleep. The room only had a bed and a closet in it and the bed was in an alcove in the wall. It was barely big enough for a single person, let alone two, but Lance and Keith squeezed onto it together anyway, with Lance putting his arm around Keith’s waist to prevent him from falling off.

“I didn’t think you would wear the ring,” Lance said quietly, noticing the ring still on Keith’s finger.

“Of course I would,” Keith said. “You gave it to me.”

“But still. I thought you would put it away in a drawer somewhere and forget about it.”

Keith glanced down at the ring, remembering the night Lance gave it to him. “I’m sorry. I know I hurt you that night.”

“It’s alright.” Lance closed his eyes and moved down so he could rest his head on Keith’s chest. “It all worked out in the end.”

“What’s going to happen after this is over?”

Lance’s eyes snapped open. “After what is over?”

“Voltron,” Keith said hastily, making Lance relax and close his eyes again. “This fight. The war. After the Galran empire is gone and Altea is safe.”

“I don’t know. But I don’t think Altea will ever be the same,” Lance whispered. “I know the empire will fall.”

“You told me you would tell me about the Altean empire.”

Lance spoke even quieter than before, as if he was scared someone would overheard them. “They pretend they do everything for peace but they’re much crueler than the Galrans. They have a serum that can turn you into their slave and take away your free will.”

“That’s horrible.” Keith stared up at the ceiling, the image of Altea stuck in his mind. It had looked so innocent. “I hate how we have to do this. How everyone is depending on us to save the world.”

“We have to. It’s not our choice.”

“That’s what I hate.”

“I know, sweetheart. But after this is all over, we’ll be safe.”

“Where, Lance?” Keith closed his eyes too, letting the comforting blackness fall over him. “We can’t be together in Altea. You don’t want to go on land.”

“I’ll go on land if it means I’ll be with you,” Lance whispered.

“And I’ll stay in Altea for you. If that’s what you want.”

“It’s not what I want. I want to be somewhere we don’t have to hide. If that means I have to live on land, I’ll do it.”

Though he wanted it so desperately, Keith said, “I can’t make you live on land if you don’t want to be there.”

“I do want to be there,” Lance sounded like he was trying to convince himself, not only Keith.

“It’s not your home.”

“You’re my home.”

Keith couldn’t do anything but wrap his arms around Lance and press his lips to the top of Lance’s head, trying to express his love for him without words. Three simple words weren’t enough to express his feelings for Lance but he said them anyway. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” Lance said softly. “It doesn’t matter where we go. Just promise me we’ll go together.”

Feeling the weight of it, the responsibility of the promise, Keith said, “I promise. I’ll never leave you.”

“I don’t want to be left.” Lance’s voice was small, like he was scared of getting lost in a mall alone.

The ‘ _you never will be’_ echoed in the silence between them.


	12. Chapter 12

“Today, we will focus on team bonding exercises,” Allura began. “You will-”

Hunk frowned and interrupted her. “Hey, wait a moment. I don’t know about you guys but I already feel bonded. We had to fight off the Galra together, and if that isn’t bonding I don’t know what is. Do we really need to train today?”

It was their sixth continuous day of training and Hunk was clearly done with it.

“You’re not bonded enough,” Allura said. “And yes, you do need to train. You are a paladin now, Hunk. You can’t afford to be lazy.”

“I’m not lazy, I’m tired,” Hunk protested. “We’ve been training for nearly a week. I’m covered in bruises!”

“Well, there is nothing physical in bonding,” Allura assured him. “Not that much. At any rate, you shouldn’t be getting injured unless you have a magical ability to injure yourself doing mental exercises.”

“Fine,” Hunk muttered, still annoyed. “What do we have to do?”

“We will begin with some very easy exercises,” Allura said, “barely training at all. Ice breakers!”

“We don’t need ice breakers,” Pidge said. “We already know each other well enough.”

“Oh? What is Hunk’s favorite color?”

“Uh, yellow?” Pidge tried, making Hunk nod.

“Damn it,” Allura said under her breath. She looked at Lance. “Lance, what is Pidge’s middle name?”

“How am I supposed to know that?” Lance asked.

“Exactly.”  

Five minutes later, they were sitting in a circle on the floor of the living room.

“Everyone will introduce themselves and offer an interesting fact about themselves,” Allura commanded.

“Is this what you call training, Allura?” Keith asked. “I used to do this in school at the beginning of the year when the teachers made us get to know our classmates. How are we supposed to bond over this?”

“This isn’t extensive soul bonding.” Allura was still acting like a cross between a pre-school trainer and a drill instructor. “I’m helping you all become friends. If you will be in a team together you need to like each other. This is speeding up the process.”

“We’re already friends.”  

“Nice try,” Allura said skeptically. “You barely know anything about each other. Let’s continue. Pidge, you start. Tell us one interesting thing about yourself.”

“Allura, we’ve been friends for seven years,” Pidge said in disbelief. “You know everything about me. You gave me the sex talk when my parents were too embarrassed to do it. You bought me my first bra. You got drunk and made out with my brother. Hell, you drove me to my graduation.”

“Hey, you promised you wouldn’t tell anyone about the Matt thing!” Allura said indignantly.

“What?” Shiro sputtered. “I’m going to kill Matt.”

“It must be frustrating realizing your best friend made out with your crush,” Keith said slyly.

Allura grinned, tapping her chin and furrowing her eyebrows in mock confusion, momentarily back to her usual lively self. “Who’s the crush, me or Matt?”

“That’s what we’re all wondering,” Keith said.

Shiro was flushing red, embarrassed. “Shut up, Keith. Neither of them are my crush.”

“If one of them aren’t your crush, why the hell did I spend seven years listening to you talk about them?” Keith asked. He was on a roll. He raised his voice to imitate Shiro’s, though Shiro’s voice was lower than his. “Oh, Keith, you wouldn’t understand, her eyes are more beautiful than anything else, her lips are so perfectly shaped, she’s-”

Shiro clasped his hand over Keith’s mouth, making him let out a displeased sound. “I apologize for my little brother, he doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

“No, no, please go on,” Lance said, putting his chin on his hand and leaning forward to listen. “This is very entertaining.”

“We should move on,” Allura said, her cheeks bright pink to rival Shiro’s.

“Thank you,” Shiro said gratefully, looking at Hunk. “Hunk, why don’t you go?”

“Alright. My name is Hunk, obviously, and I like cooking. And food. I also like weight-lifting and boxing, but not when I have to do it for twelve hours continuously.”

“You like boxing?” Pidge repeated, stifling a laugh.

Hunk frowned. “Are you assuming I wouldn’t do boxing?”

“No,” Pidge yelped, backtracking quickly. “It’s just that you act like you hate physical activities.”

“That’s because we haven’t done any weightlifting or boxing,” Hunk pointed out. “You can’t box with a training robot.”

“Good point. Lance?”

“My opinion on boxing or information about myself?” Lance asked.

“About yourself, idiot,” Keith said before Pidge could, saying the insult like it was an affectionate pet name.  

“My name is Lance and I have the worst boyfriend in the world,” Lance joked, shooting a look at Keith, who sighed and shook his head in exasperation. “I have a few siblings but they live at the other end of the world. My family sent me to Altea so I could go to the Terra Garrison, even though it meant they would never get to see me anymore. And I miss them a lot.”

He quickly looked down, hiding his face as if he was trying to compose himself.

“You never told me that,” Keith said gently.

“I didn’t think it was that important,” Lance said, still looking down at the ground, his hair falling over his forehead.

“Nothing about you is unimportant. If you miss them you can always tell me.”

“I miss them all the time. Especially now. When I left my brother was still a newborn. I have no idea how old he is now. He must be so big.” Lance sounded like he was trying not to cry.

There was an awkward silence.

Lance cleared his throat. “I’m sorry. It must be all that… that underwater dust. It’s pretty dusty.”

Everyone else leapt on the excuse, agreeing with him, but Keith said, “You can’t have dust underwater.”

“That’s why it’s underwater dust,” Lance said, sniffing. “It’s dust that’s underwater. Special underwater dust.”

“Special underwater dust doesn’t exist.”

“It does now.”

“Anyway,” Allura interrupted, saving Lance from the awkward situation. “Shiro, your turn. Tell Hunk and Lance something about yourself.”

“I have a prosthetic arm?” Shiro offered, holding up his prosthetic right arm.

“Really?” Lance said in mock surprise, giving Shiro a dry look.

“That was a bit obvious,” Shiro admitted. “I… I got it when this guy from my dad’s company cut my real one off.”

Lance and Hunk stared at him in shock, paying full attention now. “What?”

“The company’s budget had to be lowered so my dad had to fire a lot of people, including that man. The man was really poor and he had no other source of income so he became furious and ambushed me one day when I was walking home. He was about to kill me but he wanted to do it slowly so he started with the arm, but someone came to help. The damage was already done, though, so they had to amputate the arm entirely and I got this robotic one instead. I consider myself lucky for not having lost anything else.”

Lance was the first to speak in an incredulous voice. “Lucky?”

“…Maybe not so lucky.”  

“Damn right that’s not lucky,” Lance said, his forehead creasing. “That’s terrible.”

Shiro shrugged. “It happened a while ago. The man went to jail, but I think he’s out now.”

“They should have kept him there till he died.”  

“I don’t know, maybe.” Shiro wanted to change the subject. “Allura, your turn.”

“My name is Allura,” she said, “and my dad was Alfor, king of Altea. I’ve lived on land for the past seven years. An interesting fact about me is… I’m not sure, actually. I’m not a very interesting person.”

“We can help,” Pidge said mischievously. “For example, she got drunk and made out with my brother.”

“She had this phase a few years ago where she was obsessed with Ninjago,” Keith put in.

“She once accidentally ate the iron filings I was working with,” Pidge added. “Well, she says it was an accident.”

“Why would I intentionally eat iron filings?” Allura asked, her neck and face flushed.

“I knew someone who used to try to eat iron filings whenever we did experiments in science,” Keith offered. “Her friends always looked so done with her.”

“Was it the same girl that always got her finger stuck in her padlock?” Pidge asked. “I used to walk past her locker and she would be there, trying to get her finger out of her padlock.”

Keith nodded. “Yeah, that one. I can’t remember her name. Anyway, it’s not important.”

“You are definitely an interesting person,” Shiro told Allura, his gaze serious.

“I guess,” Allura said, blushing a little. Diverting attention from herself, she said, “Keith didn’t go yet.”

Keith drew in a long breath. He had been hoping they would forget about him. “I’m really not interesting.”

“Yes, you are,” Lance said instantly.

“I’m not.”

“Everyone has at least one interesting fact about themselves,” Hunk said. “It’s one of the rules of humanity. Besides, if you don’t find out I’m sure Shiro, Allura, and Pidge will be happy to provide us with something.”

“No,” Keith said quickly. “I’ll find something. Uh… I unironically like country music.”

Shiro gasped. “I knew it!”

For a moment, Keith had forgotten that Shiro was listening. “No, I was kidding! I don’t like country music, I-”

“Too late,” Shiro said, a satisfied smile spreading across his face. “I knew it.”

“Fine,” Keith said, knowing he couldn’t take it back now. “I like country music. Happy?”

“Very. Also, it’s time for revenge.”

“What?”

“Keith has a pining playlist!” Shiro announced. “He likes Taylor Swift, when he was little he tried to eat his teddy bear, he asks the barber to cut his hair in a mullet because he likes it that way, he once tried to speak to his crush but he was so nervous he burst into tears and ran away, he-”

It was Keith’s turn to press his hand on Shiro’s mouth to keep him quiet. “Shiro is a dirty fucking liar. I never did any of those things.”

“Is that why you always quote Taylor Swift songs, thinking I won’t notice?” Lance asked.

“I never quote Taylor Swift songs!”  

“I can list at least six separate occasions.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Lance said. “Like when you said you couldn’t breathe without me.”

Keith averted his gaze. “That’s a common line.”

“And when I asked you if you remembered the first time we met, and you said you remembered it all too well.”

“That’s also a common phrase!”

Lance spread his arms wide, daring Keith to challenge him. “Well, I have something you can’t deny.”

“No, you don’t.”

“Are you sure about that?”

“I’m a hundred percent sure,” Keith said, regretting it the instant it left his mouth. He knew all too well that he did quote Taylor Swift songs thinking no one would notice.

Lance smirked. “A few weeks after you rejected me you came up to me and told me, and I’m quoting you exactly, _this is me standing in front of you, swallowing my pride, saying I’m sorry for that night._ ”

Keith let out a deep sigh as the others burst out laughing.

“That one is so obvious,” Shiro guffawed, “how did you think Lance wouldn’t realize?”

“I didn’t know Alteans listened to human music and I thought it was a good line!”

“In all fairness Alteans don’t listen to human music,” Allura said, biting back her own laughter. “It’s only Lance that does that.”

 _I’m sorry,_ Keith thought, fixing his gaze on Pidge. _I have to do this._ Pidge’s eyes widened as she realized what Keith was about to do, and she leapt across the circle to stop him.

However, she was too late.

“Pidge sings along to anime openings,” Keith yelled.

Pidge shook her head slowly in betrayal as everyone turned on her, laughing even harder and teasing her for what was definitely a thousand times more embarrassing than Taylor Swift. She did what she had to do to save herself.

“Shiro listens to Nickelback,” she shouted, brandishing her finger towards Shiro.

However, Shiro was prepared for it and he looked at Allura sadly, saying, “I’m sorry, Allura.”

“Don’t you dare!” Allura exclaimed, slamming her hand on Shiro’s mouth. He pulled it away easily. “Shiro, don’t! Don’t- if you love me, don’t say it.”

“Last summer, Allura got drunk and started twerking while rapping Anaconda,” Shiro said, feeling the sting of shame already upon him.

Everyone had just calmed down but they started laughing again at the confession, the image of Allura twerking in all of their heads. Allura’s face was scarlet with embarrassment but she joined in laughing as well, thinking that if they would laugh at her she might as well join in.

“I think you should stop drinking,” Keith said, sending everyone into fits of laughter again.

-

The next exercise they did was more complex but still “should be too easy for you” in Allura’s words. They were in the training room and sitting in a circle on the ground with their tails stretched out beside them again. However, this time they were all wearing headsets that looked like a futuristic cross between racing helmets and headphones.

“This is—” Allura paused to think of how to express it in words— “You can think of it as a simulation of how your minds should connect when you are forming Voltron. Your minds will all share the same space so you will be able to see each other’s thoughts. And please—” she took a deep breath— “Please control what you are thinking. Lance and Keith, I’m talking to you.”

“I would be offended if that wasn’t completely true,” Lance said.

Keith punched his shoulder lightly. “Allura’s not the only one that will kill you if you start thinking dirty thoughts. Or at least keep me out of them.”

“That’s going to be difficult,” Lance said, tilting his head downwards and looking up at Keith through his lashes, fluttering them. “You’re the only thing on my mind.”

“Then get me out of it.”  

Being a part of Voltron felt weird. Keith wasn’t in the Castle of Lions anymore – his mind was somewhere completely different and was connected with everyone else. The mystery place was an endless expanse of swirling galaxy and he could see the other paladins’ thoughts floating around like disjointed stars. At first, he could only see their thoughts: Hunk was thinking of how pointless this was, Shiro was thinking of how this was supposed to help them form Voltron, Pidge was thinking of where they were and Lance was thinking of-

“Lance,” Keith hissed and before he could say anything else he was falling, falling, falling out of the galaxy and crashing back into cold, hard reality.

The light blinded his eyes and it felt like an elastic band had snapped back into place around his head. He rubbed his temples, wincing, and saw that Pidge was doing the same.

“Why are you back?” Allura asked. “What happened?”

Keith glared at Lance, who smiled guiltily. “Lance was thinking of something that he definitely should not have, and I lost concentration.”

Allura glowered at him. “Lance, you need to focus.”

“I was trying,” Lance protested.

“Try harder.”

They closed their eyes and were back in the galaxy again.

The longer they stayed there, Keith realized that new stars formed around them. Not only thoughts, but there were memories now. Mentally, he reached out to touch the closest star, which was burning merrily.

_Pidge giggled, the sound lost into the surrounding noise of the park. “Push me again, Keith!”_

_Keith smiled and pushed her again, the swing going even higher this time. She let go of the swing’s chains and reached out, as if she could catch the sun itself._

The memory ended. Keith couldn’t remember that day but seeing it through Pidge’s eyes was enough to bring a smile to his face. He reached out to touch another star, which was glittering as brightly as the previous one.

_Allura looked at Shiro and felt an intense longing, stronger than anything she had felt before. Stronger even than the time her father sent her away and stronger than when she found out her father was dead. But this feeling was happy, a delirious happiness that left her heart beating faster than before and her mind dizzy with love._

_Love._

_This must be it._

Keith backed out of the memory before he invaded any more of Allura’s privacy. He hoped Shiro would see that memory. He touched another star and was pulled into another memory.

_“Please!” he begged. “I’m only fifteen, please, please don’t do this.”_

_“Your father,” the man spit, “was a-”_

The memory was snatched away from him and Keith snapped back to reality again. It felt like someone pulled the floor from beneath him.

Shiro was shuddering, his arms wrapped around himself. “No, no, no, please don’t do this, I’m-”

Allura already had her arms around him, smoothing down his hair and kissing his forehead, murmuring, “You’re here. Shiro. Shiro, you’re here with me. I’m here.”

Shiro took a deep breath but Keith knew the memory was still ripping through his mind, destroying the walls he had built for himself to protect himself from it.

“You’re here with me,” Allura murmured, her voice low and soothing. She kissed his cheeks and put her hands on his shoulders, shaking him. “Shiro, sweetheart, darling, I’m here.”

“Here,” Shiro whispered, still rocking himself back and forth and keeping his eyes shut like if he opened them, the man would be there in front of him.

Allura nodded, kissing his forehead again. “I’m here. You’re safe.”

Slowly, slowly, Shiro came back to reality. He put his arms around Allura and pressed his forehead into her shoulder as she cried in relief.

“You can’t try again,” she said.

“I have to.”

“No, we can’t risk it. I’m not letting you do it. You’re not going back in the simulation.”

“Please,” he said.

“No.” She moved her hands to his cheeks, staring into his eyes with deadly seriousness. “I can’t risk you getting hurt like that. I can’t lose you again like that. I mean-” As she realized the position they were in, she cleared her throat and moved back. “The team can’t lose you.”

“This is completely platonic,” Shiro added, glaring at Keith. “I know what you’re going to say.”

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Keith said innocently.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Pidge yelled. “Just hug each other and stop worrying about us! You’ve been friends for seven years and you’re still worrying about accidentally acting as if you’re in love? Do you have any idea how many people assume Keith and I are dating? It’s a part of friendship, deal with it!

Shiro and Allura stared at her, then turned back to each other. Without saying anything, Allura climbed onto his lap and let him put his arms around her again as she rested her head on his shoulder. Keith knew they would talk later that evening, and he was excited at the prospect of not having to deal with their unbearable sexual tension anymore.

“You guys can try without me,” Shiro suggested. “Not to form Voltron, to get used to the feeling.”

Pidge shrugged. “Fine with me.” Hunk looked frustrated but he didn’t say anything.

As the galaxy appeared around him and his mind flew to that place, Keith touched another star.

_Hunk tapped his watch impatiently, waiting for Lance._

_Just as he was getting ready to leave, he saw someone swimming as fast as they could down the road, towards Hunk. It was Lance._

_“Hunk! Hunk!” Lance yelled, his eyes bright, so bright, and his cheeks red. “I’m in love!”_

_“Is it Jenny?” Hunk asked. “Or the other Jenny? Or-”_

_“It’s someone new.” Lance paused for breath, his breathing shallow and fast. “and I’ve never felt this way before!”_

_“Sure you have,” Hunk said, amused. “You fall in love every other week.”_

_“But I’ve never felt like this,” Lance said, a bright smile lighting up his face like sunrays. “He’s- oh, he’s so sweet and funny and he’s not kind but he’s really sarcastic and witty and clever and I swear, Hunk, I’m going to marry him someday.”_

Keith’s breath caught at the last part. Could it be… he stayed in the memory, waiting to see what happened next.

_“Does he go to the Garrison?” Hunk asked._

_“No,” Lance said, his eyes sparkling even brighter, as if he was caught in a fever, “He’s human.”_

_Hunk gasped. “No.”_

_“Yes!” Lance took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. “His name is-”_

But Keith couldn’t listen to the memory anymore because he was falling out of the galaxy again and it was the same feeling as it was when Shiro broke the connection.

He came back to reality to see Lance staring at him, horrified.

“I didn’t hear everything,” Keith said quickly.

Lance said, “You heard enough.” Then, he rushed out of the room.

“What did he see?” Allura asked, concerned, getting up off the floor to stare after him anxiously.

“It’s not what he said, it’s what he saw me see,” Keith said before he swam out of the room behind Lance. Lance was swimming to the bedrooms but Keith caught his wrist, stopping him. “Lance.”

“Let me go,” Lance said.

“No.”

Lance tried to pull his hand away but Keith tightened his grasp.

“Lance, stop running.”

“I’m swimming.”

“Stop swimming.”

“Let me go,” Lance said. “Why do you always do this? Can’t you do what I tell you for once?”

“I’m not someone for you to command,” Keith said. “Why are you so upset?”

Lance spun around to face him, suddenly furious. “I’m not upset, I’m embarrassed! You were never supposed to see that!”

“I don’t care! I still don’t understand why you find that so embarrassing.”

“Because I said I wanted to marry you!” Lance yelled.

They were both quiet. Lance’s anger was gone, with only humiliation left in its place.

“Let me go,” he said.

“No,” Keith said again. “I don’t care how embarrassing you think it is that you want to marry me.”

“I was infatuated back then,” Lance said quietly. “I don’t want to marry you.”

The words stung. The curt, cruel way Lance said them was even worse. The corridor lights made the whole situation too impersonal, as if they were acting for a movie, but Keith didn’t care. The surroundings, the timing, their angriness with each other – it didn’t matter. It was just him and Lance.

Slowly, Keith said, “That’s too bad.”

Lance raised his head. “What?”

“It’s too bad that you don’t want to marry me,” Keith said, his heart throwing itself at the walls of his chest in its panic. He felt as if he was going to throw up from nervousness and his skin was aflame. He was trembling, and he could barely force the words out; they refused to form on his lips. However, he pushed the words out of his mouth as if they were hot coals he was holding in his bare hand. “Because I want to marry you.”

Silence.

Lance was shocked, his eyes round and his mouth almost forming a perfect ‘o’.

“You… you want to marry me?”

Keith couldn’t take it back now. Everything was in the open and he was exposed, left in the wilderness without any weapons. He was vulnerable, so vulnerable. Lance was free to stab him.

“Keith,” Lance said, his voice a weak tremble. “You want to marry me?”

Keith’s face was burning. Now he understood how Lance felt – it felt like Lance was drawing this out just to make fun of him at the end, to break him and toss him away.

“You want to marry me?” Lance asked for the third time, his voice even shakier and quieter.

Keith closed his eyes and whispered, “Yes. I want to marry you.”

Wordlessly, Lance moved forward and hugged him tightly. Keith’s muscles relaxed as he hugged Lance back, burying his face in the crook of Lance’s neck. Before he could stop himself, he burst out crying.

Lance drew back, surprised. “Are you crying?”

Keith shook his head, trying to hold back the sobs, but they came out anyway. The water stopped his tears from coming out but he was weeping, unable to stop himself.

“Baby, what’s wrong?” Lance asked, cupping Keith’s face in his hands.

Keith pulled away, not wanting Lance to see him cry. He buried his face in his hands.

“Keith.” Lance looked scared now. “What’s wrong?”

“I was so scared,” Keith managed to say, drawing a gasping breath. “That was even worse than fighting the Galra.”

“Aren’t I the one supposed to be crying?” Lance asked, his eyes sparkling with either happiness or tears. Maybe both.

“Clearly not,” Keith said, wiping his eyes though there were no tears. He covered his face with his hands again, feeling another wave of crying coming on, but Lance pulled his hands away to kiss him, hard. Keith pulled Lance closer to him, kissing him back with all his force, pushing all his love and his fear into it. Lance clearly understood what Keith was feeling because he started crying as well.

That set Keith off again and now they were both crying.

“We need to stop,” Lance said through his tears, squeezing his eyes shut like Keith normally did when he was trying not to cry. “We’re grown men.”

Keith was about to correct Lance before he remembered that Lance _was_ eighteen now. They had celebrated his birthday a few months before they had to join Voltron. He was calm. He was calm.

“We should go back,” Lance said when they had both calmed down fully.

“But what does this mean?”

Lance glanced back at Keith, almost about to enter the doorway. “Maybe we should talk about that later.”

“Okay,” Keith agreed, following Lance through the doorway. Not to his surprise, the others were all huddled around the doorway, eavesdropping in on their conversation.

Lance crossed his arms. “I’m disappointed in you guys.”

“We couldn’t help ourselves!” Pidge protested. “You stormed out and Keith followed you and we knew there would be a big show so we just…”

“That was so sweet.” Allura sniffed, clearly emotional. She threw her arms around Keith. “I’m so proud of you, little brother.”

Keith hugged her back gratefully. He never knew that Allura considered him her brother but when she called him that he was pretty sure he was about to start crying again. Maybe he lost his biological family and his adoptive parents, but the only family he needed was right here. And this family was _his._ He wasn’t an outsider here – he wasn’t the odd one out, the adopted child in a family with parents that only kept him because he was an abandoned baby, not because they wanted to. Here, he fit in. They accepted him with all their hearts, though they didn’t have to. This family wasn’t stuck with him. They chose him, and he chose them. 

“He’s my little brother too,” Shiro said, joining in on the hug to make it a group hug.

“He’s my brother too!” Pidge insisted, joining the hug as well, snuggling into the center of the hug beside Keith.

“And he’s like a son to me,” Coran wailed, already sobbing. He threw his arms around all four of them, making the hug significantly wetter.

“Can I join?” Lance asked, clearly finding the whole thing hilarious.  

Allura glared at him over Keith’s head. “If you were brave enough to admit it then my little brother wouldn’t have had to go through that.”

Keith wanted to defend Lance but he couldn’t argue with that.

“Aw, come on,” Lance protested, “I was humiliated.”

“What do you think Keith was?” Pidge said, not even bothering to face him.

“Point taken.”

Shiro sighed. “Just come in, Lance. Our future brother-in-law might as well join us.”

They pulled Lance into the hug as well, leaving Hunk the only one outside.

“Guys, I’m kind of alone,” he said awkwardly, so Shiro reached out to pull him into the hug too.

They were all together now and Keith closed his eyes, relaxing into the embrace of his family.

His family.

He had a family.

_I have a family._

-

The castle was colder than usual.

It was freezing, even with the blankets over him and Lance lying beside him, his arm thrown over Keith’s chest. Keith wished he brought a swim shirt like the one Pidge was wearing, but he hadn’t thought to do that and now he was stuck with a bare chest in a freezing castle. He didn’t want to wake Lance to ask him to make the room warmer so he swam out of the room, careful to avoid sending ripples towards Lance that would bother him.

The corridors were even colder and Keith’s tail was about to freeze right off. The lights switched on as he swam past them and he hoped they wouldn’t wake anyone. The castle’s lights switched on during the day and off during the night, but they were also activated by movement during the nighttime, when they would otherwise be off.

As he entered the lions’ hangar, a wave of heat hit him. His lion was trying its best to warm him. It purred quietly, calling Keith to enter it. Keith swam into the lion and sat in the pilot’s seat. The lion amped up the heat and he felt his skin thawing, his knots in his stiff muscles loosening.

“Thanks, Red,” he said, patting the arm of the seat. The lion purred again, saying _you’re welcome_ to him. He didn’t know why he woke up in the middle of the night or what time it was, and he wondered if the lion knew. The lion did know, telling him that the time was 2 am.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something. It was his mother’s knife – his knife. He leaned over to pick it up.

As he held it in his hands, he inspected it. The blade was clean and untarnished, and the symbol on the hilt was definitely the same symbol on Ulaz’s sword. What did that mean?

And if a merman had his mother’s knife, then did that mean that his mother was… no. She couldn’t be. But how else would Ulaz get the knife?

Clearing his head, he took a step back to look at the evidence. She abandoned him when he was little. She had a knife that had a mermaid rebel organization’s symbol on it. A merman had her knife. When he was a baby, he was found on the beach. How Ulaz made Lance be quiet when Lance tried to tell him something. How Ulaz was hiding something from him.

No.

She couldn’t be.

She couldn’t be.

She… she could be.

It was then that it hit Keith: _How did Ulaz know my mom if she was a human?_

“No,” he whispered to himself, unwilling to believe it. “No. This can’t be happening.”

More than anything, he wished Ulaz was still here so he could explain it. But he wasn’t, and there was only one person who might have answers. Or two. He decided to try the second option first. He swam down the hallway to Allura’s bedroom and knocked on her door before entering. She sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes. She glanced at someone lying beside her and Keith realized it was Shiro.

“It’s about fucking time,” Keith whispered, motioning to Shiro and looking back at Allura. “I need to talk to you.”

Allura nodded and swam with him out of the room, down the corridor so they wouldn’t wake anyone.

“I’m sorry for waking you up,” Keith began.

“It’s alright,” she said, giving a dismissive wave of her hand. “I know you. You wouldn’t wake me unless it was something important.”

“It’s about my mom,” Keith said.

Allura blinked. “That is important.”

Keith held the knife out to her and she took it, looking at the symbol on the hilt and letting out a soft gasp. “Ulaz gave this to me and said it was my mom’s.”

And he explained all his thoughts to her, how his mom abandoned him by the sea and how Ulaz refused to tell Keith something, and all the other evidence that pointed to his mom being a-

“This symbol…” Allura said, “it’s the symbol of the Blade of Marmora. That’s a-”

“I know what that is.”

“Good,” she said. “Oh, Keith. I’m so sorry you had to find out this way.”

“Allura, please don’t.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said, taking his hand in hers and rubbing her thumb against his palm comfortingly. He let her comfort him in silence, appreciating the familiarity of her warm hands and her soft voice as his world fell apart and everything he knew unraveled like a broken, ripped tapestry.


	13. Chapter 13

The dining room was warmer than the castle had been last night, alive with the chatter of the paladins. When Keith swam in, they all fell silent. Keith automatically looked at Allura, silently asking her if she told them. Nervously, afraid he would be angry with her, she nodded. But he wasn’t angry; he was grateful that he wouldn’t have to.

He sat down across Lance and picked up his spoon, noting with distaste that they were having food goo for breakfast.

Hunk was the first to speak. “You know, I did not see it coming that you were half Galra.”

“Hunk,” Allura scolded, “don’t be so tactless.”

They all looked at Keith, expecting him to say it was fine and offer an explanation. However, he wasn’t in the mood for explaining something, especially something he barely understood. So, he didn’t say anything and started eating the food goo.

“Will you turn purple?” Hunk asked, ignoring the death glares the rest of the paladins shot at him. “And hairy and tall?” He gasped. “Will you be evil? Are you evil now? Have you been evil all along? Oh my god, maybe you were sent here to kill us-”

“Hunk,” Shiro said sharply.

“What? I’m just curious.”

“Your curiosity is more rude than inquisitive,” Allura said, scowling at him.

Though usually the food goo tasted horrible, it didn’t taste like anything today.

“We’re here for you,” Lance said, reaching across the table to hold Keith’s left hand. “ _I’m_ here.”  

Keith still didn’t say anything but he squeezed Lance’s hand, showing him he understood. He wasn’t angry with anyone, but he needed time to comprehend this.

Hunk, however, definitely wasn’t helping.

“Are your ears going to become longer?” he asked.

Keith put his spoon down and swam out of the room. Behind him, he could hear Allura and Shiro turning on Hunk. Someone was swimming behind him and sped up so they were beside him. It was Lance. Lance didn’t say anything so Keith didn’t either, letting Lance come with him as he swam until he was at the main doorway of the castle.

“Don’t go out,” Lance said. “It’s not safe.”

Keith felt the weight on his shoulders become heavier with each meter he swam. “Lance, I-”

“I don’t care that you’re half Galra,” Lance said immediately, knowing that Keith was about to apologize and say that he had every right to end this if he didn’t want to be with a Galra.

Slowly, Keith spoke. The words were quiet and heavy. “As if it isn’t bad enough that I’m human.”

“Sure, it does complicate things a little,” Lance admitted. “But not for me. I don’t care.”

“I’m both human and Galra.” Keith lowered his head to stare at the floor. “Complicated is an understatement.”

“That is a pretty unlucky combination,” he agreed. “But I still don’t care. This doesn’t change anything.”

Though he wanted to comfort Keith, Lance knew that he needed some space, so he stayed silent as Keith struggled to find words to express the storm brewing inside him, filling his head with grey clouds and sending lightning flashing through his body.

For a while, Keith didn’t say anything. He stared at the door, wanting to go outside. He _needed_ to go outside and, he didn’t care how far away it was, he would swim back to his house. Forget all of this ever happened and go back to the time when it was only him and Lance, and they were happy. It was Voltron that ruined it all. If it weren’t for Voltron, he never would have found out. If it weren’t for Ulaz.

Sudden, searing anger boiled in him towards Ulaz. If Ulaz never gave him the knife he never would have found out. It was all Ulaz’s fault.

But he couldn’t do anything now. He couldn’t change who he was, the blood that rushed in his veins. He wanted to cut his body and let all the blood spill out, let all the Galra blood spill out until he was human again. Until he was whole again, not this mermaid-human hybrid that wasn’t him.

“Imagine,” Keith said finally, “if it were you finding out that you’re Galra. Finding out that you’re from a race that you never even knew existed.”

“I would be scared,” Lance whispered. “Keith. I know you’re scared.”

“I’m not scared.”

“You don’t need to pretend with me. We’re in this together, remember? For better or for worse. That means for worse as well.”

“I’m so sorry,” Keith said, his voice cracking. He let Lance draw him into a hug. “I’m so sorry you’re stuck with a Galra. You have all the right to take back the promises you made to me.”

“I don’t want to. I’ll never leave you means that I’ll never leave you, not that I’ll stay with you until I find out you’re Galra.”

Numbness was spreading over Keith like the cold on a winter’s morning, turning his blood into ice. “I don’t want to be this.”

Lance sighed and stroked Keith’s hair as the pain washed over Keith, as his limbs turned into icicles. “I know.”

Bitterly, or maybe thankfully, Keith thought, _you’ll never know._

_You’ll never know._

-

“Level twenty. Start.”

Keith fought the bot yet again, ignoring the protests of his muscles as he made them move over and over again, as he dodged the bot’s attacks and used his tail as a springboard to launch himself at the bot, pushing the sword into its chest cavity. It groaned and shut down.

A voice came from the doorway. “You really need to stop breaking those bots.”

Keith turned around to see Pidge there.

“Look,” she said. “I know Lance probably told you that he doesn’t see you differently, but that boy is blinded by love and wouldn’t notice if you turned green and grew five extra arms. I’m more realistic. I’ve known you for more than ten years so I’m not going to lie – this is a huge shock for me. A really fucking big shock. The ultimate of all ultimate shocks. But despite that ultimate, really fucking huge shock, I still care about you. You’re still my honorary big brother.”

She sighed before continuing. “I don’t care that you’re Galra. You could be a leprechaun for all I care and I would still love you like you’re my own blood. Don’t beat yourself up over this. It’s your dad’s fault for shacking up with a mermaid, not yours. You can’t control how you were made.”

“I know. But it hurts anyway.”

“I know it does,” Pidge said. “I don’t know how it feels, but I can see how much it’s hurting you. I know that hurt won’t go away like magic.” She grinned. “It will pass like a kidney stone, but it will pass.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “You need to stop using those Pinterest quotes.”

“That one came from Tumblr, actually.”

Keith laughed for the first time since he had found out about his heritage. “You’re the best, Pidgeon. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, cadet. Now, do you want to go to the kitchen? I think Hunk’s finally trying to cook some human food and I’m really excited that we won’t have to eat food goo anymore.”

Putting aside the pain in his heart, Keith followed Pidge to the kitchen.

As soon as Hunk saw him, he started apologizing. “I’m so sorry, I know I was really tactless and I probably hurt your feelings but I really didn’t mean to and I didn’t realize I was being mean. I’m especially sorry for calling you evil. I know you aren’t.”

Keith smiled uncertainly. Hunk clearly felt terrible about his previous behavior but Keith wasn’t sure how to assure him that he didn’t care about it. “You weren’t being mean. You were just… a little tactless, like you said.”

“I was really tactless,” Hunk agreed before Keith could continue, “and I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Keith said. “But please don’t ask me anymore questions. I don’t know any more about it than you do.”

Hunk nodded, smiling gratefully. Then, he held up the plate he was working on. It was covered in a thin layer of blue slime. “Do you want to help? I’m trying to make cookies, though it doesn’t seem to be working that well…” 

“Sure.” Keith looked behind himself to invite Pidge to join them but she was already gone. Oh, well. This would give him an opportunity to bond with his boyfriend’s best friend. Besides, he liked Hunk and enjoyed spending time with him. “What are you making the cookies out of?” 

“I don’t know, actually.” Hunk picked up a half-empty packet that had text written in another language and showed it to Keith.

“Are you sure this is cookie dough?” Keith said doubtfully, trying to read the text. He was pretty sure it was in Altean, and he couldn’t understand it at all. “It looks like slime.”

“I found it in the kitchen so it should be edible,” Hunk said, shrugging and pulling open a drawer to take out a pair of latex gloves. He shaped the layer of slime into a single cookie and took more slime out of the packet. “Could you heat the oven?”

“I don’t know how to operate ovens,” Keith confessed as he poked at the numerous buttons on the oven.

Hunk stared at him in disbelief, slowly shaking his head before turning back to the ‘cookies’. “You’re a legal adult, Keith. How do you not know how to use an oven?”

“Shiro does all the cooking,” Keith said. “I know how to make toast?”

“Everyone knows how to make toast.”

“I know plenty of people who don’t,” Keith objected.

Hunk laughed and put the now empty packet of blue slime down, swimming over to pat Keith’s shoulder and pull the oven open, pushing the plate inside it and shutting the door. He pressed a few buttons, then turned to Keith. “If we make it out of this alive and go back to Altea, I’ll show you how to cook.”

“Will you?” Keith asked.

Hunk raised an eyebrow. “You don’t think I can teach you?”

“No, it’s not that,” Keith said hastily. “I thought you don’t like me.”

Hunk’s eyes widened. “Where did that come from? What makes you think I don’t like you?”

He swam up to sit on the counter, shifting to push his tail into a more comfortable position, stretched out to his right. Keith joined him on the counter, sitting beside him. “It wasn’t anything you did. I assumed you didn’t like me because it’s my fault you were dragged into this mess.”

“How is it your fault that the Galra are attacking?” Hunk asked. “You didn’t even know what Galra were.”

“Maybe not Voltron,” Keith said, “but ever since Lance met me he’s been hanging out with you less. Doesn’t that make you hate me?”

“Of course not,” Hunk said, his voice firm and confident. “I’m really happy Lance met you. He’s been much happier since he met you, you know.”

“He has?”

“Of course he has. I saw you seeing my memory, the one where Lance first told me about you. That memory, it was the day you two met for the first time. He had never been that happy. He looked so happy, actually, that for a moment I thought he was poisoned or he ate one of those flowers that make you euphoric but insane if you take too much.”

Keith knew he shouldn’t be prying, but he couldn’t help but ask, “Does he talk about me a lot?”

“Only for every single moment I’m together with him,” Hunk informed him. He raised his voice to imitate Lance though Lance’s voice wasn’t higher than his, like Keith sometimes did for Shiro: “Hunk, you’d never believe what Keith said today, you need to help me, Keith told me this and I don’t know how to reply, help me, Keith tied back his hair and I nearly fainted.”

Keith laughed, relief flooding inside him. So he wasn’t the only one that talked about Lance constantly.

“He’s crazy about you,” Hunk said. He sighed. “I know you think he hates you now that you’re Galra, but-”

 “I don’t think he hates me. I think he deserves better than a Galra.”

“He does deserve better,” Hunk agreed. “He deserves everything. If I could give him the stars I would. But he wants you, Keith.”

“He deserves-”

“You’re not listening,” Hunk interrupted him, his eyes narrowing and his voice hardening. “He wants you. It doesn’t matter what he deserves or what he could have. Don’t try to make the decision for him. He chose _you_.”

After a moment of deliberation, Keith said, “You’re right.”

“I know I am,” Hunk replied. “Don’t push him away because you think it’s what’s best for him.”

“You’re right,” Keith said again.

Hunk pushed himself off the counter to swim to the oven. “I always am. Are you going to help me finish these cookies?”

Keith was about to say something when he frowned and pointed at the oven. “Is that… is that supposed to be opening itself?”

Before he could duck, a slab of slime was hurled out of the oven and hit Hunk straight in the face.

-

An hour later, Keith and Hunk swam into the living room covered in blue slime. Keith never thought that an oven would come to life and start firing glops of blue slime at them but it happened. Though they were underwater, the slime turned out to be as water resistant as the rest of the Altean materials underwater and cut through the water smoothly to plaster itself to Keith’s body and tail. His hair, especially, was full of it and he shook it out in disgust.

Allura gasped when she saw them. “What are you doing with that scaltrite?”

“More like what was that scaltrite doing with them,” Lance said, hiding his smile and swimming over to Keith to brush the slime out of his hair. “How did this happen?”

“We were trying to make cookies,” Keith said sulkily.

“The oven attacked us!” Hunk exclaimed, waving his arms around wildly and almost hitting Pidge in the face. “Oops, sorry, Pidge.”

“How did the oven attack you?” Pidge asked, the concepts of Altean AI and sentient ovens already developing in her head. “It must have been using some sort of AI technology if it was able to attack you or maybe there was a gear malfunction that launched its contents, or…” she trailed off, muttering to herself and swimming out of the room, presumably to the kitchen.

“I’m not surprised,” Lance said, leaning in to kiss Keith’s nose softly. “Only you could get attacked by a sentient oven, sweetheart.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Keith insisted. 

“Anyway,” Allura started as if they had interrupted her in the middle of a speech, which for all Keith knew they could have, “as I was saying. You will be using your lions today.”

“Woah, what?” Hunk asked. “Already? I don’t think I’m ready.”

“You’ve flown the lions,” Allura continued, ignoring Hunk, “but now you need to learn how to master their weapons. Keith has practiced using the lasers a little, and-”

“Practiced?” Keith asked incredulously. “I was shot at by a Galra base! It was an actual combat situation!”

“I know,” Allura said, “and you did well. However, you need to advance further. That goes for the rest of you, as well.”

“Alright,” Shiro said. “When can we start?”

“Now,” she replied.

-

When Keith entered his lion, the lion rumbled a little louder than it usually did.

“What is it, buddy?” Keith asked. Today, the lion was reluctant to comply when Keith activated its controls but eventually it did. “Red?”

The lion didn’t reply, ignoring him like a petulant child.

“Is it the Galra thing? You must have known about that before. In fact, I should be angry at you, because you didn’t tell me.”

The lion was offended at that, saying, _I didn’t tell you for your protection._

“Bullshit,” Keith said. “I can protect myself. Didn’t I earn your respect?”

 This time, the lion answered him and told him that it was upset that Keith didn’t tell it about his engagement.

Keith tapped the joysticks in gentle chastisement. “We’re not engaged.”

In response, the lion played back the memory of the ordeal with Keith confessing to Lance that he wanted to marry him. And the crying. Keith was horrified to find that he had cried a lot more than he thought and it definitely didn’t look as dignified as he had imagined.

“That’s embarrassing,” he said, either to the lion or to himself. “I can’t believe I cried so much.”

The lion apparently couldn’t believe it either.

“Only I can judge myself,” Keith told it, “so you can lay off.”

He couldn’t argue further with the lion because the comm turned on and Lance’s voice sounded over the headset.

_“Are you still in the hangar, Keith?”_

“Sorry,” Keith said, flying the lion out of the hangar and out of the castle to join the rest of the paladins and their lions behind the castle.

 _“Is everyone here?”_ Shiro asked.

 _“Yeah,”_ Pidge replied.

_“Good. We should start with general training first, and then we can try forming Voltron.”_

“I think we should form Voltron first,” Keith said. “Voltron is a better weapon than all the lions combined.”

Shiro wasn’t keen on the idea. _“But we won’t know how to fight with Voltron without unlocking the secrets of our individual lions.”_

“Allura said it should be instinctual.”

_“Allura says a lot of things and not all of them are correct.”_

“Don’t let your girlfriend hear you talking that way about her.”

For the first time in seven years, Shiro didn’t deny that Allura was his girlfriend and Keith silently thanked everyone who had an influence in them finally getting together. He wondered how long they would date before one of them sucked it up and proposed – everyone knew they were made for each other. There was no way they wouldn’t end up together. It was only a question of when it would happen.

 _“We will train without Voltron for now,”_ Shiro said firmly.

“Fine.”

They started with some basic experiments, trying to find out what powers their lions possessed and what weapons they had. Keith already knew about his lion’s lasers but he looked carefully around the control panel to see if there were any other weapons. There was a big red button that looked promising, so Keith pressed it.

However, nothing happened. He pressed it again… nothing.

“What does this do?” he asked the lion.

The lion told him that it was only for emergencies.

“This is an emergency! I need to know how to use it.”

Dryly, the lion said all he had to do was press the button.

“No one listens to me,” Keith said, slamming his hand on the control panel on top of the main section of buttons. Instantly, the lion fired out a burst of lasers that Hunk narrowly managed to avoid. “Great. _Now_ you work.”

“ _First the oven, now you?!”_

“I’m sorry!”

 _“Be careful,”_ Shiro chided.

The other paladins were getting the hang of using the lions’ weapons as well. They were firing the weapons in all directions, nearly hitting each other, and Lance was using ice rays that Keith worried would impair his lion’s controls if they hit him, since his lion was fire-based while Lance’s was ice-based. Finally, they were all at the same level of skill with the weapons in their lions so Shiro deemed them ready to move on to the next stage – forming Voltron.

At first, they tried keeping their lions close to each other and concentrating on forming Voltron. However, that didn’t work so they tried flying their lions in an arrow formation for several kilometers, waiting to transform into Voltron.

After it had been a minute or two, Pidge said, _“This isn’t working. We’re going nowhere and we’re getting further from the castle.”_

“Maybe we should stack the lions on top of each other,” Keith suggested.

 _“One idea’s as good as another,”_ Shiro said.

They stacked the lions on top of each other in the shape they thought Voltron should be in, but that didn’t work either.

“ _We’re not concentrating enough. Concentrate harder.”_

 _“I’m concentrating as hard as I can!”_ Pidge exclaimed, wringing her hands.

_“Concentrate harder.”_

Lance snickered. _“Heh, harder.”_

 _“Shut up, Lance,”_ Hunk said as Pidge said, “ _This really isn’t the time.”_

“ _Keith, why aren’t you defending me?”_ Lance complained.

“Leave my boyfriend alone,” Keith said wearily.

 _“Hey,”_ Pidge said _. “We’ve been friends for eleven years and you choose him over me?”_

“ _Don’t start an argument now,”_ Shiro reprimanded. _“We need to focus on Voltron.”_

And they did. For hours and hours they tried their best to form Voltron, trying everything they could think of from stacking the lions on top of each other to Pidge looking for a way to manually connect them together to firing lasers at each other, hoping the combat situation would trigger the transformation. Nothing worked, and they had nothing to show for it but burnt, bruised bodies and a bitter disappointment in themselves.

Finally, Shiro called for them to stop. _“This isn’t working. We’ll try another day.”_

“We should keep going,” Keith said.

 _“No,”_ Hunk said at once. “ _Maybe you have Galra stamina and strength, but we don’t.”_

“You have Altean stamina and strength.”

_“Well, it doesn’t seem to be working right now. We can’t go on.”_

_“We’re all tired,”_ Pidge said. _“It’s been nearly a full day.”_

“Fine.” Keith hadn’t realized how sore his muscles were until now. In an attempt to scare his lion and trigger it into forming Voltron with the others, he had flown his lion up above the surface of the water and straight down again. He went too fast to change direction and he had crashed into the seabed with a huge boom, sending sand flying everywhere, sticking to their lions. He had been thrown out of his seat and against the wall, his tail crumpling beneath him in a way that made him suspect something in it had broken.

When they parked their lions in the hangar and swam out of it to go to their own bedrooms to rest before dinner, Lance went with Keith to their bedroom. Having to push the joysticks backward and forward so many times and keeping them in the same position for ages made his arms ache badly and he didn’t want to squeeze onto the tiny bed.

He made Lance take the bed while he lay on the floor, sighing in relief as he was finally able to stretch out his tail. When he first got his tail it had been a vivid, blinding crimson but now it was duller. Many of his scales had fallen off and his tail looked like an old carpet with thin, pulled out threads.

Lance noticed him looking at his tail in misery. “What’s wrong, sweetheart?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Are you upset about your scales?”

Instead of answering, Keith turned onto his side so he wasn’t facing Lance anymore.

“You shouldn’t feel bad about that. It happens to all of us – look.” Lance moved off the bed to show his own tail to Keith. It was also much duller than it had been when Keith first met him. It was bleached, washed out. An old shirt that had been washed too many times.

“It still doesn’t feel nice.”

Lance frowned. “Is it hurting? It shouldn’t be hurting.”

“It’s not the scales that hurt.”

“Training was pretty painful today,” he agreed.

“I got thrown out of my chair.”

“You’re lucky it was only once.” Lance examined a red line running down his arm that culminated in a ring of bruises on his wrist. Now concerned, Keith sat up and shifted closer, reaching out for Lance’s hand to check if any bones had broken. Lance grinned. “What’s the verdict, Doctor K?”

“How did this happen?”

“I don’t know. I think the adrenaline blocked it out because all I remember of the whole day is a lot of pain and stress. And disappointment.”

“Disappointment,” Keith echoed. “But it’s only the first day we tried to form Voltron. There will be more days.”

“God, I hope not.”

Gently, Keith placed a kiss on the back of Lance’s wrist, right on top of the flowering bruise, and dropped his hand to lay back down.

“I’m really sleepy.”

“Me too,” Lance murmured. “Can we sleep a little before dinner?”

“I think dinner is being served now,” Keith said regretfully, getting up off the ground. “Come on.”

Groaning, Lance got out of the bed as well and swam with Keith out of the room to go to the dining room. A few of the ceiling lights weren’t working and he wondered why they weren’t working if the castle was powered by Quintessence, which was an energy source that wouldn’t run out. The other paladins, except for Pidge, were all sitting at the table and eating their meals.  

When he sat down, the first thing Keith noticed was that the meal wasn’t food goo. It didn’t look like a human meal either, though.

“What is this?” he asked.

Hunk beamed. “It’s real food.”

It looked like the jelly substance that the people of Thneedville ate in ‘the Lorax’. It must be a type of Altean meal because it definitely wasn’t eaten on land. It was vaguely luminescent, which was rather worrying. However, anything was better than Coran’s food goo so Keith lifted a spoonful to his mouth. It didn’t taste bad.

“What do you think?” Lance asked.

“It’s alright,” Keith said, careful to keep his tone neutral. While it didn’t taste bad, it didn’t taste good either.

“If you’re going to live in Altea you’d better get used to it,” Lance teased. “It’s a common meal.”

Allura had been talking to Shiro, but she whipped her head around and narrowed her eyes, staring accusatorily at Keith and Lance. “Live in Altea?”

“Oh.” Lance hadn’t meant it seriously. “We- we haven’t decided yet.”

“But you have decided that you will stay together.”

Lance glanced at Keith, who gave him a tiny nod, and firmly replied, “We have.”

Unexpectedly, Coran said, “You’re still young, you two. You have your entire lives ahead of you! Think about this more carefully. Humans can’t live underwater.”

Keith had left Lance to struggle on his own against Allura’s interrogation for long enough. “We’re still not sure. We’ll work something out later.”

“What are your current thoughts?” Coran didn’t sound accusatory the way Allura did; he was only mildly curious.

Lance and Keith stared at each other, each waiting for the other to give an answer.

“Well?”

“We really don’t know,” Keith said when Lance didn’t offer an answer.

“And the wedding?” Coran questioned.

Keith froze, caught off guard by the question, and Lance’s gaze flickered to the doorway as if planning for an escape. “What wedding?”

“Your wedding,” Coran said, squinting his eyes in confusion. “You’re getting married. That requires a wedding.”

“Oh, we’re not getting married,” Lance said just as Keith said, “We’re not thinking of marriage now.” They looked at each other, both relieved that they were thinking the same thing.

“You proposed,” Allura interrupted, as Coran was about to say something else. She looked upset, as if it were her own fiancé that called off their wedding. “That means marriage.”

“We didn’t propose,” Keith corrected.

“You said you wanted to marry each other!”

Keith shrugged. “People want things. It doesn’t mean it will happen. We’re not thinking of that yet.”

“But-”

“Allura, drop it,” Lance said, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. He was comfortable discussing anything with Keith but with Coran, Allura, and Shiro it wasn’t the same. “We’ll discuss it in our own time.”

“We’re helping you,” Allura insisted.

“Please stop helping,” Keith said before Lance could speak. “I appreciate the thought but we really need to talk about this on our own.”

Allura was about to speak, defending herself, but Shiro put a warning hand on her arm. “Allura. Let’s not make them uncomfortable.”

“I’m excited,” she said, pouting. “They’re taking such a long time to decide everything!”

“Keep your excitement to yourself, darling. Their relationship is still new. They’re right – they shouldn’t be talking about this now.”

“When is your anniversary?” Hunk asked, helpfully changing the subject to something less uncomfortable.

“Keith knows,” Lance said as Keith said, “Lance knows.” They both burst out laughing.

Hunk looked horrified. “You two don’t know your anniversary?”

“The anniversary of our first kiss or when we confessed to each other or when we got together?” Lance asked as Keith said, “Nope.”

“I’m a little concerned that all of those are on separate days.”

“Well, it’s nearly been a year,” Lance said thoughtfully. “Next month, right, Keith? If we don’t count that part at the beginning after you kissed me and panicked and ran away.”

Hunk’s eyebrows drew together. “That doesn’t sound like a very easy beginning.”

“The beginning was pretty rocky,” Keith agreed. “It was ten percent us falling in love and ninety percent me forcing Lance to tell me about the mermaid world.”

“Merpeople,” Allura corrected. “It’s politer.”

“Merpeople is more politically correct,” Lance retorted, “but not a lot of people use it.”

“Lance is right,” Hunk said. “I’ve never heard anyone actually say merpeople. Or merperson.”

“Perhaps it is because I’m of the royal family,” Allura suggested. “I was always taught the polite, neutral form of words so as to avoid controversy. That is—” her expression saddened— “when I was still with my family.” Shiro rubbed her shoulder comfortingly and she leaned into his touch.

“Next month, huh?” Lance said quietly, just for Keith to hear. “Almost a year.”

“It’s been the best year of my life,” Keith said.

“Mine too.”

“A year,” Keith repeated. “I’ve never been in a relationship before you.”

Lance looked incredulous. “You never have?”

Keith shook his head.

“But you’re—” Lance gestured helplessly with his hands— “You’re you. How wasn’t everyone crazy over you?”

“I’m a quiet person.”

“Yeah, right. I always thought you had a lot of boyfriends before you met me.” Lance groaned. “This whole time I thought you have lots of handsome tall exes and I’m the only weirdo.”

“How long have you been stressing over this for?”  

“Since the first time we met,” Lance admitted.

Keith blinked. “How did you know I was gay?”

Lance grinned and tapped his own head. “Gay-dar.”

“Do you have an actual Altean ability for that or do you mean the usual gay-dar?”

“Just the usual gay-dar. Actually, you’re about the gayest person I’ve ever met. My gay-dar was off the charts.”  

Before Keith could reply with yet another sarcastic comment, Allura turned to him and said, “How are you coping with the information that you are Galra? Any change?”

Instantly, all the happiness in Keith evaporated. He had been distracted enough for the past day that he hadn’t thought about it but now the reminder was back and it felt worse than ever, like a recurring tumor. He didn’t want to be this. If only he could go back to how he was before – blissfully ignorant.

“Let’s go, baby,” Lance said gently, leading Keith out of the room and shooting an irritated glance at Allura. They went down the corridor in a direction they hadn’t went in before, which turned out to be an empty room. The lights in it weren’t working, and they were left in darkness.

Abruptly, Keith turned back to face Lance. “I can’t do this.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t want to be this,” Keith said. He was so tired. He was _so_ tired of this. He just wanted to rest, go to sleep and stay sleeping until all this was over and he could live with Lance in peace without any mention of Galra ever again. Dimly, he registered his strength giving out and Lance put his arms around him, keeping him upright.

“I know,” he murmured. “Sweetheart, you can get through this. You’re so strong.”

“I don’t want to be strong,” Keith whispered.

“Be strong for me.”

“I’m trying.” Keith closed his eyes as the darkness inside him spread, a plague infecting his limbs, his tail, his head, his soul. He felt so dirty.

“This is who you are. You can’t change it.”

It seemed that the only sentence his mouth was willing to speak was, “I don’t want to be this.”

“I love you,” Lance said, pressing his lips to Keith’s forehead. “More than anything. Stay strong for me.”

“You shouldn’t love me.”

Lance’s fingers tightened on Keith, pressing into his skin not hard enough to be painful but enough to show Lance’s distress. “It doesn’t matter if I should or I shouldn’t. I do love you. Isn’t that enough?”

“It is enough. It’s too much. I don’t deserve your love.”

“You deserve everything.”

“I don’t.”

“You do. You deserve everything and I’m the one who doesn’t deserve you because you’re so perfect and gorgeous and amazing and I’m nothing compared to you.”

Bitterly, Keith laughed, but the sound was short and without humor. “We sure are a pair of screw-ups.”

“We are,” Lance agreed. “But we’re screw-ups together. And you promised me not to leave me.”

“I did promise. Forever and always,” Keith said.

Lance stared at him in suspicion, then disbelief, then astonishment. “Did you- did you just quote a Taylor Swift song at me?”

“No.” Keith’s face was already flushing red. The phrase had slipped out without him thinking about it. “I didn’t.”  

“You did!” Lance crowed gleefully. “I caught you in the act! I’m going to go tell the others.”

“No,” Keith yelped. “I’ll do anything! They’ll never let me live it down.”

Lance pretended to think about it. “Anything?”

Oh, so that was how Lance was going to play it. Keith rearranged his features into a careless smirk, letting his fingers inch across Lance’s collarbone, lightly skimming the top and making Lance shiver. “Anything.”

“I’d better take advantage of that.”  

They didn’t go back to the dining room after that.


	14. Chapter 14

For the first time since she had joined them, Allura gave them a day where they could rest. She and Shiro retreated to her room, which they had begun sharing, while Pidge and Hunk started working together on a new project in the ship’s workroom. Lance had decided to take an afternoon nap so Keith went to see Coran.

As he swam to Coran’s room, he thought of the dream he had the previous night. It was a strange dream where Pidge was holding his mother’s knife and pretending that she was about to throw it out of the window, while he tried to grab it back.

Coran was in his room, parading around in front of a full-length mirror propped up against the wall, wearing a sparkly purple cape. When he saw Keith enter he waved in greeting. “Hello, Keith. Check it out – it’s my old cape!”

“That’s nice,” Keith said before Coran could launch into a tangent about the ‘good old days’. “I came to see what you’re doing. The others are all busy.”

“Well, I’m not busy.” Coran swept his cape so it rolled over the floor like grape juice. “What _is_ Number Five doing?”

Keith inclined his head towards the open door though the workroom was in the opposite direction. “She’s with Hunk in the workroom.”

“The princess?”

“She’s with Shiro.”

Coran frowned. “Oh, my. Perhaps I should talk to them about… uh, staying safe. While on that topic, have I spoken about it to you yet?”

Keith covered his hands with his ears in protest. “Not you, too!”

“Shiro tried to give it to you as well?”

“It would be easier to say who didn’t try to give it.”

Coran patted him on the shoulder in a fatherly way. “That’s because it is very important. When you have a tail, not so much, but when you return on land…”

“Coran!” Keith squeaked. “Stop!”

“Very well.” Coran, slightly disappointed, turned back to the mirror to admire himself. He raked his hands through his hair, making it fly everywhere like waving strands of seaweed. The image in the mirror was slightly distorted because of the water, he assumed, but it showed them accurately enough and Keith was caught off guard when he saw his reflection. His tail was beaten up and bruised, a pale shade of dusty rose, and more than half his scales had fallen off or were about to. His arms were more muscular and there was a circular scar on his arm where he had been shot by the Galra soldier weeks ago.

It had been three weeks since they had started their fight against the Galra empire. No, a month. It had been a full month and Keith didn’t feel tired anymore while training; his stamina and endurance had developed, and he was definitely much stronger. All the paladins were stronger. Even Pidge, who used to have barely any strength at all, was able to spar with them easily now. Most days they practiced their combat skills in the castle in the training room, sparring with each other or with the training bot, and the other days they experimented with their lions, trying without success to form Voltron.

“Why don’t you check out the Air Room?” Coran suggested.

Keith blinked. “The… Air Room?”

“Oh, yeah. They don’t have them on land.” After just a month living underwater, Coran seemed to have forgotten seven years of living on land.  “Basically, it’s a room where the water is all drained and it’s full of air, and- yes! On land, they’re called saunas.”

That sounded interesting, and the heat would loosen the knots in Keith’s muscles. Just thinking about it was pleasant and he decided to try it out. “Thanks, Coran.”

Coran turned back to the mirror, dramatically holding up a scepter that had appeared out of nowhere. This was a good time for Keith to leave, so he swam out of the room and made his way down the corridor to find the Air Room. The castle was huge and it felt like it was spawning in more rooms because it couldn’t possibly be this big. Because of his tail, Keith was travelling faster than he would have travelled on land, but it still took him a good half hour to find the Air Room, which was conveniently labelled Air Room.

As he was about to open the door, he felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Lance.

“That’s not how you open it.” Lance had a towel slung over his shoulder and a weary expression. “What are you doing here?”

Keith gestured with a thumb to the Air Room. “Coran told me about the Air Room. What are you doing?”

“Same thing,” Lance said. He looked slightly put-off, his eyebrows knitted together.

“Is something wrong?” Keith asked.

Lance moved around Keith to reach the door and pressed a button beside it that Keith hadn’t noticed. The door opened with a whooshing sound and they both went in, Lance first and Keith following behind.

Instantly, with a loud snap, his tail transformed into a pair of legs and he dropped to the ground, unprepared. Like Coran said, the room didn’t have any water in it. The room was steadily filling with steam, and Keith saw a long marble slab that they were obviously meant to sit on. Lance was already sitting on it, so Keith crawled over and pulled himself up onto the slab. It felt weird, having legs again. It was unfamiliar.

He looked over at Lance, who had legs now too. His legs were smooth and unblemished, and he spread the towel over his groin area so Keith couldn’t see anything there. He had crossed one leg over the other, like a model, and he folded his hands on his knee. His chin was tilted slightly upwards and he was staring into space.

“You’re staring,” Lance said abruptly.

Lance was clearly upset about something, because normally he would have made a joke about it. 

“Did I do something?”

Lance wiped his hair off his forehead and licked his lips. The room was now completely white, full of steam. In a matter of seconds, Keith couldn’t see him anymore. He could only feel him there, hear him breathing.

“Lance?”

Still no reply. Sweat inched down Keith’s neck and it was then that he realized because he hadn’t brought a towel, he was completely exposed. Scooting over to his right so he slightly further from Lance, he was suddenly grateful for the steam. The room was getting hotter now, humid like a tropical rainforest, and when Keith moved to wipe the sweat off his arms his skin was soft and moist.

When Keith spoke again, his voice was dry and raspy. “Did I do something?”

“No,” Lance said.

He had done something. However, he didn’t know what it was. It couldn’t have been something he said, because Lance was chipper as always in the morning; it couldn’t have been something he did because Lance would have told him… did he forget something?

“What day is it?” Keith blurted out. When Lance didn’t reply, he realized.

It was their anniversary. When they couldn’t remember when their anniversary was, they decided that the best approximation was January sixteenth.

Today.

Keith launched into a series of hasty apologies. “Lance, baby, I’m so sorry, I’m an idiot, I didn’t…”

Through the steam, he made out Lance holding up a hand to stop him.

“It’s fine,” Lance said, his voice just as hoarse as Keith’s from the dryness. It was steaming hot and they had no water to drink. “I don’t care.”

“I’m so sorry,” Keith pleaded. “Baby, I’m sorry.”

Lance gave a mirthless laugh.                                                  

“What? What is it?”

“You only call me baby when you’re apologizing,” he said.

Keith was only making it worse with each word he said. “Baby, I- fuck, I did it again- I’m really sorry. I really had no idea what day it was, I didn’t even know it was the fifteenth.”

“I told you.” Lance was quiet. “I don’t care.”

Keith didn’t think it was this big a deal. If Lance forgot their anniversary he wouldn’t have made a big deal about it. “I think you’re overreacting.”

“Oh, am I?” Lance said in the same deadly quiet tone.

“Yes.”

“Well, if you think so…”

“Shut up,” Keith said. _Why the fuck did I say that?!_

Lance stiffened. “What… what did you say to me?”

“You heard me. Shut up.” _Fuck, I need to stop._ “You’re acting like I cheated on you.”

“You can’t talk to me like that,” Lance said coldly. Dangerously.

Keith sighed. “I’m sorry.”

No answer.

“I’m sorry, Lance.”

“I don’t want to talk.” Lance leaned back against the wall and Keith heard the soft thud of his head against the ceramic. 

“You said we needed to communicate more,” Keith said. “Remember?”

Grudgingly, Lance said, “I remember.”

“Please just tell me what you’re so upset about. Is it me forgetting our anniversary?”

“Maybe.”

“Lance.”

Lance swallowed hard and turned on the marble slab to face Keith, though they could barely see each other. “It’s just… I didn’t expect you to completely forget it. I guess I expected it to be special.” he paused. “Never mind. I have no right to tell you what to do. It doesn’t matter.”

“It does matter,” Keith said. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t need to be,” Lance said. “I should be the one saying sorry, for being so selfish. You’ve had a lot on your mind recently and it’s completely normal that you didn’t remember.”

“ _You_ remembered.”

“It really doesn’t matter. It’s not that special, anyway.”

“Of course it is. We’ve been together for a year. I would have been mad too,” Keith admitted. He didn’t want Lance to feel guilty. “And I did forget our anniversary. I should be the one apologizing to you.”

Lance smiled and gave a half-shrug. “Babe, you did nothing wrong. It wasn’t that important.”

“No, really,” Keith murmured. “I need to make it up to you.”

Keith was aching to kiss him, to reach out and touch him, kiss every inch of his body and whisper that he loved him a million times until the words were permanently burned into his mind.

 It was then that Lance understood what Keith was getting at. “Oh…” he smirked. “In that case, go ahead and apologize.”

But because the universe hated him, an alarm started wailing at the top of its voice. All the steam disappeared from the room as the door opened and freezing cold water rushed in. Keith let out a cry of pain, wrapping his arms around himself as the cold sunk into his bones, worse than anything he had felt before. The cold was even worse than being injured by the training bot, than crashing in the red lion, than any other painful ordeal Keith had been through in his life.

“Fuck, that’s cold,” Lance hissed, flinching and gritting his teeth. Both their legs were tails again. “Here, I know the way.” He grabbed Keith’s hand and dragged him back down the corridor, and it only took them five minutes to reach the control room. Allura was there, her hands and her face pressed up against the window to look out.

The darkness outside was lit up by the flashing purple lights of the Galra ships. The green, yellow, and black lions were outside, fighting against the onslaught of ships.

Allura spun around, sensing their presence, and said, “What took you so long? Go to your lions!” 

Three minutes later, they were in their lions, rushing outside to join the other paladins. This fight wasn’t like their previous one at the Galra base. At the Galra base, there was only one ship; the base. Here, there were more ships than Keith could count, flitting around and attacking like a deadly nest of ants. As if it were an arcade game, he began shooting at the ships, destroying as many of them as he could. However, as they finished off the smaller ships, a wave of larger ships appeared, looming ominously out of the depths.

Those ships were a lot harder to destroy. The pilots were more skilled, maneuvering around the laser beams easily to shoot at them from behind. Though the smaller ships were lighter, these ships somehow moved faster than them.

“ _We need to form Voltron,”_ Shiro declared.

Pidge didn’t sound optimistic. _“We’ve never done it before.”_

_“Then this would be a good time to start. Let’s get into formation.”_

They got into formation and flew forward together, waiting for the lions to merge and for Voltron to form. However, the ships kept firing at them and they had to disperse. To their horror, an even bigger ship was now emerging out of the darkness. It had a large, silver tube attached to the front of it and, without warning, a blast of white light fired out of it towards Hunk. Hunk managed to dodge in time, but he was shaken. A thin blue globe was now forming around the castle, made up of thousands of identical hexagons. This must be what Allura had called the particle barrier.

Then, he heard Allura’s voice on the comm though she didn’t have a paladin’s helmet – maybe she found a back-up one. _“It’s an ion cannon. I can give you cover with the castle defenses for a while, but you have to form Voltron now or we'll all be destroyed!”_  

“ _Jeez, no pressure_ ,” Hunk muttered. The ion cannon was aimed at the particle barrier and was hitting it repeatedly, sending tremors and flashes through the barrier. With the castle covered, the ship’s cannons focused on destroying the lions.

“ _Listen up, Team Voltron,”_ Shiro commanded. Keith could sense a motivational pep talk coming on. “ _The only way to succeed is to give it all you've got! This looks bad, but we can do it. Are you with me?”_

There was a chorus of okays and nods.

Lance looked doubtful. “ _Uh, how?”_

“ _Good question.”_ Shiro hesitated. _“Does anyone have any ideas on how to form Voltron that we haven’t already tried?”_

 _“I’ve got nothing,”_ Pidge said, veering to the right to avoid another blast from the cannon. “ _Can’t they cease fire for a moment while we figure this out? Is that too much to ask?”_

 “ _Combine!”_ Hunk yelled out, zooming towards Keith to crash into Keith’s lion with his. A shudder ran through the lion and Keith groaned as the vibrations shook him around in the chair.

“Hey!”

 _“Okay, that didn’t work,”_ Hunk said unapologetically.

 _“Quick, paladins! Our energy levels are getting low.”_ There was a sound like someone thrown against a wall and Allura groaned, rubbing her head.

“ _Maybe if we keep flying in formation we’ll combine_ ,” Shiro suggested.

“We already did that.”

Ignoring Keith, Shiro said, “ _Take off on my cue! One… two… three… Voltron!”_

They took off together, flying in formation, this time with Allura giving them some cover with the castle’s steadily deteriorating defenses.

Lance had his fingers crossed as they sped forward, saying, “ _Come on, come on_.”

 _“Nothing’s happening,”_ Pidge said.

“ _Hey, wait, wait, wait! I feel something!”_ Lance said, just as Keith started feeling it as well. It was a pull. His lion was being pulled toward something.

Hunk felt it, too. “ _I do, too. I feel it. It's like we're all being pulled in the same direction.”_

Shiro paled. “ _Uh, guys, I think I know why. Look up.”_

Keith had been staring at the lion’s control panel, but when at Shiro’s words he looked up. They were being dragged backwards, back towards the ship.

 _“The ship is sucking us in like a black hole,”_ Pidge shouted, letting go of the joysticks to bite at her nails before grabbing the joysticks again, trying to fly the lion away from the ship.

“ _No.”_ Shiro grunted, pushing the joysticks so far forward that they looked like they were about to pop out of their outlets.

“ _I don’t care what you say, Shiro! I’m panicking now!”_ Hunk let out a terrified scream, covering his eyes with his hands.

“ _It can’t end here!”_

 _“This is it!”_ Lance yelled. “ _Keith, I love you. We’ll go down in history as the most tragic lovers ever. I bet future literature majors will have to study our story.”_

Keith wanted to tell Lance it would be alright, they would make it out of this alive, but he was ninety-eight percent sure they were going to die. So, he whispered, “ _I love you, too. I’m sorry we didn’t have more time together.”_

 _“Stop acting out your drama and do something!”_ Allura cried, wringing her hands in desperation.

This was really happening. He was really about to die. It was all going to end now, and because they failed to save the world, they would take millions of merpeople down with them. All of Keith’s goals, his aspirations, his dreams, came crumbling down around him like the fragments of the destroyed Galra ships. His dream of a life with Lance on land, where they would be safe and happy, _together,_ was destroyed. He would never have that life. He would never have _a_ life.

 _“No!”_ Shiro squared his shoulders. “ _We can do this. We have to believe in ourselves.”_ He paused to take a breath. _“We can't give up. We are the Oceans’ only hope. Everyone is relying on us. We can't fail. We won't fail! If we work together, we'll win together!_

As hopeless as it had seemed before, a spark of determination ignited in Keith. Shiro was right.

Together, they all yelled out, “ _Yeah!”_

And the sound of roars thundered through the sea, the force of it throwing back many of the ships. The red lion was moving without Keith controlling it, rolling onto its side and slotting itself to join the main body of the lion, and he could hear the other lions fitting together, the metal clinking and sliding against itself to form the body of Voltron. A cloud of dust was thrown up as the legs of Voltron stomped onto the seabed. The transformation was complete.

Voltron held out the sword in its hand and swiped it from left to right, obliterating several of the ships. A single fire of Voltron’s weapon was enough to blow up the remaining Galra ships, and Voltron aimed at the ion cannon. It fired straight into the barrel the blasts were coming out of, just as the Galra ship fired another pulse of energy out of the cannon.

The two blasts collided in the middle and there was a huge explosion, eliminating the rest of the Galra ships, including the one that had the ion cannon in it. However, Voltron wasn’t fazed at all, standing in the same strong stance without moving even an inch. It was over.

“ _Good job, paladins!”_ Allura clapped her hands, both thrilled and relieved. Her hair had been in a tidy bun but it was messy now, half of it untied so her loose hair floated around her head, and half of it hanging down by her shoulder.

Keith took off his helmet and threw it across the cockpit. When they were back in the living room, the first thing he did was swim towards Lance and throw his arms around him.

“I love you,” he said, over and over again until the words seemed to lose meaning and were nothing more than a string of pretty sounds. Lance didn’t say anything, left speechless after the ordeal, but his fingers pressed into the line where Keith’s skin met his tail, like he was scared that Keith would slip away from him if he didn’t hold on.

Shiro finally relaxed, exhaling heavily and collapsing on the sofa. “We did it.”

Keith’s mouth curved into a smile. “Hell yeah, we did.”

 “How did we do it?” Shiro asked, now looking confused as he went over it in his head.

Hunk shrugged, not embarrassed at all. “I was, like, screaming the whole time. Maybe that did it.”

“Well, however you did it, you did brilliantly.” Allura smiled proudly. “And I’m looking forward to seeing you do it again. We won this battle, but the Galra Empire will not back down.”

“Good thing you paladins know what you're doing, because you're going to have to form Voltron again and again,” Coran said, giving them a thumbs-up and looking excited as if it were a game.

“Totally,” Hunk said. He frowned. “Wait, what?”

“We barely survived forming Voltron this time,” Lance protested.

“We don’t need to think about it now,” Allura said. “For now, you need to focus on doing it again.”

Coran chuckled and shook his head in amusement. “It’s not going to be easy being the Defenders of the Oceans.”

Shiro sighed and looked down at the ground. “That title doesn’t seem so cool anymore.”

Keith couldn’t help but agree.

-

The last few days seemed to be payback for them going so long without fighting any Galra, because Keith was out on his usual patrol when he heard beeping and a map appeared on his lion’s display screen. It was a distress signal coming from Altea. He rushed back to the castle and left his lion in the hangar before swimming to the control room.

Allura spent most of her time there, and today was no exception. She frowned when she saw him. “Is something wrong?”

“Altea sent out a distress signal,” he told her quickly.

She gasped. “That’s impossible. They don’t know that Voltron is active.”

“They must have found out because it’s definitely a distress signal.”

“Show me.”  

They went back to the red lion and Keith showed her the distress signal flashing on the screen. She confirmed that it was a distress signal and went back to the control room to activate the loudspeaker. Her voice echoed through the castle as she spoke. “Paladins, we received a distress signal. You must go to Altea and help them. Go to your lions.”

“Shouldn’t we launch the castle?”

Allura shook her head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. The castle’s weapons aren’t accurate and if we have to use them, we might end up damaging Altea.”

Though he still thought they should have taken the castle, Keith swam to the hangar and inside his lion. The other paladins were arriving and they all left the castle together. As they travelled through the ocean, Keith started thinking about how weird it was that Altea sent out a distress signal. They were a fully developed, powerful empire, and they would definitely have enough weapons to defend themselves without needing Voltron to do it. And how did they find out that Voltron was active again?

When they arrived at Altea, the first thing they noticed were the Altean ships patrolling the border.

A robotic voice came over the speakers in the lion and the ships moved to form a wall in front of the lions. _“Stop. Identify yourselves.”_

“ _It’s pretty obvious,”_ Lance said.

“ _Identify yourselves.”_  

“ _We are the paladins of Voltron._ ” Shiro spoke firmly. _“We picked up your distress signal.”_

The ship blocking Keith’s path moved out of his way. _“The queen wishes to meet with you.”_

Keith’s blood ran cold. After everything he had heard of the queen, he knew it definitely wasn’t a good idea to meet her. However, Shiro was nodding and moving forward so they had to follow him. Though Shiro didn’t know his way around Altea, the queen’s castle was visible from here so he made his way toward it. Keith wanted to warn Shiro, but the Alteans could certainly hear whatever he said over the comms. So, he stayed silent and hoped this wouldn’t end in disaster.

When they reached what looked like a kilometer away from the castle, the Altean ship stopped them again. “ _You must leave your lions here.”_

 _“What? No! We need those!”_ Shiro sputtered.

_“You must leave your lions here.”_

_“But it’s not safe.”_

_“They will be guarded,”_ the sentry in the ship stated in the same monotone.  

Faster than Keith would have expected, Shiro conceded and left his lion, the rest of the paladins following suit. Though Keith’s instincts were screaming at him not to, he exited his lion too and continued down the road. A kilometer wasn’t a long distance when he had a tail that could push him swiftly through the water and he wanted to tell Lance about how uneasy he felt, but he couldn’t risk it.

Finally, they arrived at the castle and the guards surrounding it let them in, leading them to the Queen’s throne room. The throne room was bare of any decoration and the walls were the same electronic blue as the rest of the interior. It was empty, except for a simple blue throne in the center of the room.

The queen was sitting there. _Hira,_ Keith’s mind supplied. She was tall, thin, and had a bright blue tail that was longer than any of the paladins’. Her tail was almost as lavish as Allura’s, with several trailing fins and highlights that shimmered as the water rippled. She had short purple hair and intense eyes that were focused on them.

“Paladins,” she said. “Let me cut to the chase. You are operating, unauthorized, using government property.”

Keith narrowed his eyes. “The lions don’t belong to anyone.”

“They belong to the government.” Queen Hira’s stare darkened. “You will have to give them up.”

“We were chosen as paladins,” Shiro said stubbornly. “They are our responsibility now.”

“They are not yours.”

“We earned them!” Keith was fuming, jabbing his finger at her accusatorily. Beside him, Lance was physically struggling not to move in front of Keith to protect him from whatever the queen was about to do to him.

She sighed and looked to her side, over at the wall. “Listen. Akira.”

With a jolt of surprise, Keith said, “That’s not my name.” How could Queen Hira know that name?

She gave a soft, tinkling laugh. “I presume you were not told that in Altea, we do not use first names. It is considered exceedingly—” she glanced at Lance— “personal.”

She couldn’t know about him and Lance. She couldn’t know… but she had looked at Lance before saying personal. _It doesn’t mean anything_ , Keith told himself.

The queen was still expecting a reply, so he thought of what to say. He settled on, “I don’t like that name.” Now that he thought about it, Ulaz had mentioned that custom.

“It is the only one I will accept referring to you as,” Queen Hira told him. “If I may continue. I also presume you were not taught that it is rude to interrupt.”

Keith didn’t interrupt, to prove a point, but he was having a hard time not leaping across the room and strangling her.

“If I may continue,” she repeated. “I can see how badly you want the lions. But you have not earned them. You have not done anything to dispel the uprising of the Galra.”

“We’ve done more than you have,” Keith hissed.

Her painstakingly maintained façade slipped and for a moment he was looking into the eyes of a demon _._ Something evil and _unstable_ was hiding in her, and she was about to lose control of it. She looked to her guards. “We are done here. Take them away, and keep the lions.”  

The guard closest to him grabbed hold of Keith’s arms and dragged him away from the queen, towards the exit. Quietly enough so only Keith could hear, Lance said, “Don’t react.”

Though it was like forcing down a breath he had already been holding, Keith didn’t react and let the guard drag him away with the rest of the paladins out of the throne room.

“On my count,” Shiro whispered as they swam down the stairs into the atrium where they had left their lions. Keith knew what to do.

“One.”

Keith inhaled and felt adrenaline plunge into his system.

“Two.”

His blood was pumping and his heart was going wild in his chest.  

The moment the word “Three” left Shiro’s lips, Keith threw his body forwards to escape the clutch of the guard and used his tail to push off towards the exit. As the guard lunged towards him, he moved to his right and swam down under the guard to swim out of the castle and into a patch of kelp. He hid himself behind a large rock covered in algae and waited to see if the guard would follow him outside. The guard did swim outside, and he spent a good few seconds looking into the distance to see where Keith went.

Keith held his breath. The guard shot off in the opposite direction when he couldn’t spot him, but Keith remained hidden, watching the door. He could hear yelling coming from inside and the paladins emerged out of the door.

“Keith?” Pidge called, glancing around anxiously.

“I’m here.” Keith swam out from behind the rock to join them. “What happened?”

“We beat up those guards.” Hunk pumped his fist in the air in jubilation. His face fell. “Hey, where’s Lance?”

Keith froze. “Wasn’t he with you?”

“We thought he was with you!”

Shiro held out an arm to stop Keith as he was about to charge back into the castle. “No, Keith. We need to get the lions first.”

“You get the lions, I’ll find Lance.”

As Shiro was about to reply, they heard the powerful voice of Queen Hira boom out over Altea, blasting out of the lampposts that he realized were disguised speakers.

_“Citizens, be advised. In ten minutes, a public execution will be held in the City Plaza. Attendance is not compulsory, but recommended.”_

Before his mind could formulate a thought, Keith was moving, swimming towards where he remembered the City Plaza was. The other paladins were going in a different direction, presumably to the lions, but he didn’t need them for this.

Time had never passed so quickly, and in the blink of an eye he was in the City Plaza. A huge crowd of merpeople were gathered there, most of them with their children. A sickening wave of revulsion came over him at the fact that this was being seen as entertainment. There were only one or two Alteans that looked as horrified as Keith felt, with thinly veiled expressions of disgust.

Under the statue of King Alfor, there was a polished metal block. Keith felt like he was going to throw up.

In the distance, he saw two faint figures. As they neared, he realized one of the figures was Lance.

Lance’s face was purple and he had a bruise over one eye, with a matching bruise on his nose. There was a wide cut on his jaw but he clenched it determinedly as the guard with him lead him to the metal block. _The executioner._ His hands were cuffed behind his back and his already injured nose collided with the hard metal with a painful _thud_ as the executioner smashed his head down on the block.

The executioner had an axe in one hand, and he used his free hand to slot Lance’s tail into something that looked like a deer trap on the ground.  The trap closed around Lance’s tail and now Lance couldn’t move at all, his head pressed down on the block so his neck was exposed.

“Well.” The executioner laughed, a sick and twisted laugh that sent a chill down Keith’s bones. “Citizens of Altea, what we have right here is what I call a traitor.”

He spit out the last word, the smile slipping off his face to reveal an ugly scowl. “He is a traitor to our race.”

“I didn’t do anything,” Lance mumbled.  

The executioner hit the back of Lance’s head with the blunt side of the axe. “Quiet.”

“Why should I?” Lance laughed, making the mermaid beside Keith let out a quiet gasp. While the executioner’s laugh was sadistic, Lance’s was manic and wild. “What are you going to do - kill me?”

He hit Lance with the axe again, this time on his shoulder, and Keith flinched as if it was him the executioner was swinging the axe towards. Then, he turned back to the crowd to address them. “As I was saying. Citizens of Altea, this merman is a traitor to our race. He consorts with _humans_.”

The crowd collectively gasped like they were the background track in a bad sitcom. There were a few hushed murmurs and one father covered his daughter’s ears with his hands. She looked up at him with wide, curious eyes and Keith could see her saying, _what is a traitor, daddy?_

The father whispered back, _he didn’t follow our rules, precious._

 _Why does he have to die for that?_ the girl asked. The father had no answer for that and motioned for her to continue watching.

“He consorts with humans,” the executioner continued, “and-” he cut himself off to pause and look around for full dramatic effect. His features were contorted in disgust and mockery, and Keith dreaded the thought of what he was going to say next. “He committed the worst crime of all.”

 _No,_ Keith thought desperately. _Please, please, no-_

“He fell in love with one,” the executioner announced.

The mermaid next to him let out a moan as if the words brought her physical pain and put her hand to her forehead.

“I think you’ve got the wrong guy,” Lance said, lifting his head slightly. “Last time I’ve checked I don’t have any hot human girlfriends.”

The executioner had a look of pure hatred on his face but he was still addressing the crowd instead of Lance. “It is true that you have no girlfriends. However…”

_No, no, no-_

“He fell in love with a _man_. A human man.”

At that, the mermaid beside him shrieked and collapsed into the waiting arms of a merman beside her, who had been expecting this to happen. Keith couldn’t risk drawing attention to himself so he stayed silent, but he would have to act soon.

Lance’s voice was shakier when he said, “W-what? A human man? You’ve definitely got the wrong guy. I’m not-”

“Quiet!” the executioner demanded, a blue vein throbbing in his temple. “Not only are you a traitor to the state, you communicated with humans, developed a relationship with one. And you are a fag. A dirty _fag._ ”

The executioner turned to the crowd again and raised his hands in the air. “Who here agrees with me?”

It was then that it sunk in that this was a sport to the Alteans. They were laughing, almost all of them raising their hands and calling out insults. This was fun to them.

Something was churning inside Keith. Something was boiling in him, like a pot of water that had been simmering for far too long and was now spilling over to splatter on the floors, spreading out to burn everything in its path. Keith was burning up, the figurative water inside him searing his insides, and the water seemed to turn to thin, fast-moving lava in his veins.

And though Keith expected Lance to be angry too, Lance smiled and said, “I am. I _am_ a fag. How do you feel about that, you _bastard_? I like men. And as a total ‘fuck you’, I also like women.” He took a deep breath before saying, “The world isn’t as straight as you think. As much fun as you have with your wife, turning your tails into legs for one night of pathetic, missionary sex, imagine the fun _I_ would have. I can fuck whoever the hell I want.”

The executioner was _fuming._ His face was a horrible puce color and his lips drew back in a snarl, exposing his teeth.

His voice quivered with rage. “I think we have stalled enough.” He raised the axe. The sunlight refracting through the water caught on the silver blade, making it glint almost prettily.

And something inside Keith exploded.

An inhuman growl ripped out of his throat. There was a flash of blinding light and needles pricked his skin all over his tail and his waist. A vision flashed through his mind of his cells rearranging themselves into a new form that he had no name for. Words appeared in his mind that weren’t in English, symbols he had never seen before and syllables that were somehow familiar. The light was surrounding him and it poured into every fiber of him, pushing itself between his cells and inching into his bones. And though it was so obviously abnormal, it felt right. _Yes,_ he found himself thinking. _This is me._

_This is me._

The light cleared away and he could see again. His vision was sharper and he could see much further, up to several kilometers away. He could hear more, hearing the loud whispers around him. He could feel each drop of water that moved against his skin. He could taste the salt in the water.

Everyone was staring at him.

Slowly, he looked down at himself.

His tail was a vibrant, dark purple. The scales were heavier and thicker, like dragon scales, and he now had translucent, lilac fins attached to his sides and the ends of his tail. And his skin was also purple. The skin on his arms and his torso was fully purple, a few shades lighter than the plum shade his tail was. Instead of nails, the ends of his fingers had long, curved claws.

If he was shocked to find out he was Galra, this was… this was beyond shock. This was…

Lance gasped, the sound catching in his throat and turning into a sob. “Keith?”

The executioner didn’t seem to realize that Lance spoke, focusing his attention on Keith. “A Galran!”

“Step away from him.” Keith spoke without thinking. His voice wasn’t his normal voice either; it was deeper, hoarser.

It was Galra. _He_ was Galra.

The executioner’s eyes narrowed. “You cannot-”

“I said step away from him.”

The executioner pursed his lips, unafraid. His features rearranged themselves into a scornful leer. “Oh, are you another one of his boyfriends? Are you with this _slut_ -”

Within a second, Keith heard a loud crunch and saw blood spreading out into the water around them, tendrils of it inching out toward the crowd. He was standing in front of the executioner, his burning hand balled into a tight fist. He hadn’t even realized that he moved, let alone punched the executioner hard enough to knock him out, but it was the distraction they needed and he quickly undid Lance’s handcuffs, helping him slide his tail out of its chains.

“How did you-”

“No time.”

Though he still wasn’t used to his new voice, his new _form,_ Keith concentrated on getting them out of there as quickly as possible. Galrans must be faster than Alteans because he was travelling much faster than he had travelled with his Altean tail, even dragging Lance with him, faster than he had ever seen Lance swim. Some internal compass inside him was pointing him eastwards so he followed it, not pausing to glance behind them to see if anyone was following them.

Then they arrived at the place where they left the lions. All the lions were still there and it looked like the other paladins had just arrived because they were swimming into their lions and activating them. The red lion roared and got up off its paws to allow Keith inside it as soon as he saw it, excited to have its paladin back. He rushed inside it and sat on the seat.

“ _Keith, what happened to you?”_ Shiro sounded horrified, probably suspecting that the Alteans attacked him with something that made him look like this.

 _“_ My Galran form, apparently.”

“ _What?!”_

Keith’s purple skin was already fading back to its normal pale color, and his purple tail was morphing back into scarlet. He could feel his vision getting hazier and his hearing deteriorating back to its human capabilities. Maybe his Galran form only activated when he was intensely panicked? “I don’t want to talk about it. It’s not permanent.”

“ _Then let’s get out of here, quick.”_

-

When they were back at the castle, Allura asked Shiro to explain what had happened and let the rest of the paladins do whatever they wanted. As always, Lance and Keith went to their room.

The lights seemed darker than usual and the mattress on the bed harder. Lance’s body was stiff in his arms as they lay together on the bed. There were faint red marks on his wrists where the handcuffs had cut into his skin.

“Are you alright?” Keith asked quietly.

“I’m fine.”

 “I thought we agreed to be honest.”

Lance sighed. “Really. I’m fine.”

Keith decided not to push him. He had been through enough today.

However, a few minutes later, of his own accord Lance said, “I’m sorry you had to get me out of that mess.”

“I’m sorry they did that to you.”

“It’s not your fault.”

“It’s not yours, either.” Keith paused. “You were _so_ brave, Lance. I can’t believe you spoke to him like that. I never would have been able to do it. I’m proud of you.”

“You’re normal again,” Lance said instead of a direct reply to Keith’s statement.

Thankfully, he was fully restored to his original form. He couldn’t imagine what it would have been like to live the rest of his life as a real Galran.

“I thought you were kind of hot as a Galran,” Lance admitted. “Does that make me a furry?”

They both laughed, and any thoughts in the back of Keith’s mind about what would have happened if he hadn’t arrived in time disappeared into his subconscious. He only hoped they wouldn’t come back to haunt him later.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! This is the second-to-last chapter of the story, and Chapter Seventeen will be an epilogue. Brace yourselves, because it gets intense! ;)

An alarm was blaring.  

Keith was sleeping on the floor but he instantly leapt up as soon as he was shaken out of his sleep by it, ready to defend himself against attackers. Lance woke slower than he did and stayed in bed, watching Keith with half-closed eyelids.

“What’s that sound?” he asked sleepily, stretching his arms. He froze in the act, suddenly alert. “Fuck, that’s an alarm!”

“Get up,” Keith said, grabbing Lance’s arm and hauling him out of the room. He bumped into Allura, who was clearly about to go inside their room to wake them up. “Is this a drill?”

“No,” Allura said, her eyes blazing with determination, fierceness, and the slightest sliver of wide-eyed fear. “They’re attacking. Get to your lions, now!”

“How many?” Lance asked as Allura rushed with them to the hangar, swimming as fast as they could.

Allura looked at Lance and pure fear crossed her face, as scared as Keith had ever seen her. “It’s him, Lance.”

Lance’s mildly frightened expression changed to raw horror, his skin rapidly turning pale. “H-him?”

“Yes,” Allura said, her voice desperate. She was struggling to remain composed. “He’s coming and he has an entire fleet with him. He also has all his generals.”

They burst into the hangar where the lions, other than the red and blue, were missing.

“They’re already outside.” She pushed Keith into his waiting lion and the doors shut behind him, the lion instantly flying out of the hangar without Keith’s input. Like Allura said, the other paladins were already outside.

Keith stopped and stared for a moment. He had never seen a battle like this. The battle at the Galra base and their last battle was nothing compared to this one. Three sole lions were fighting against tens, hundreds of ships, both small and large, all targeting the lions and especially focusing on the black one, which was circling around the green and yellow lions, trying to protect them. Aside from the ships, there was one huge base, not as big as the last one they saw but with cannons lining its sides in straight lines like black licorice. He saw a pack of ships gathered around one spot as if protecting it with their own forms and he assumed that spot was where the ‘him’ Lance and Allura mentioned was. At first, he had thought it was Zarkon but Zarkon was dead. He didn’t know who else it could be.

 _“Guys, some help?”_ Shiro’s voice rang out over the comms, harsh and choked as if it took a lot of his energy to say the words. Keith launched into the battle, activating his lion’s weapons systems and shooting in every direction, not bothering to aim because the ships were everywhere like crawling ants, turning the entire sea purple. Most of the ships were small enough to blow up with a single hit but it seemed like more and more ships were arriving, swarming the castle.

 _“Paladins, I’m going to use the castle’s back-up defenses,”_ Allura called. “ _Its main defenses are burned out after last time.”_

 _“Please be quick,”_ Hunk begged. He was surrounded by a group of ships, closing in on him and shooting at him, though their tiny lasers weren’t doing anything to his lion beside leaving shallow burn marks on its sides. Keith fired a continuous stream of lasers at the ring of ships, splitting them all neatly down their middles. He felt a pang of guilt for having murdered so many Galra so carelessly, but it swiftly passed as he reminded himself what they had done to Altea. And Allura’s family. _And Lance._

He turned the red lion around to fire at another group of ships that had arrived newly on the scene. The Galra must have had a lot of ships and soldiers if they could afford to use so many on a single operation. Or maybe they weren’t planning to have a second battle. Maybe this was the final one. There were too many distractions for them to form Voltron so they didn’t, trying to fight against the Galra with their individual lions.

He sensed someone firing at him from behind and he spun to fire right back at them, blowing them up so the debris flew towards him and hit the lion’s eye. Since the lion was mechanical it couldn’t feel pain but it was angry anyway. Keith comforted it with the knowledge that they were going to win this, though it seemed impossible. He wasn’t fooling the lion either. There were too many ships. But the paladins were destroying them as quickly as they came and soon no more ships were appearing, though they wouldn’t have noticed if they were since there were still hundreds of ships everywhere.

There was an upside of there being so many Galra ships, though – the Galra shot their own comrades more than they managed to shoot the lions and so they were killing each other. Keith wondered what that felt like – realizing that you killed your comrade, the person you swore to fight alongside and protect as if they were your own soul. He imagined accidentally shooting and blowing up Lance. His muscles stiffened at the mere thought of it and his heart banged against his ribcage in protest. It would never happen. Hurting Lance, let alone killing him; Keith couldn’t even make himself think about it. It would never happen. It could never happen. He would never let it.

But he couldn’t let himself drift into thought. He forced himself into action again, flying towards the clump of ships gathered around the single spot. Those ships were more desperate and violent than the others, fighting back with their weapons with all their strength. However, the superior Quintessence of the lion destroyed them easily. To Keith’s dismay, no matter how many ships he destroyed there were even more and ships from the surrounding areas were moving in to support the others.

Suddenly, Allura’s forceful voice pierced through Keith’s ears. “ _Keith, it’s a trap! They’re keeping you distracted so you can’t fight and they’re going to attack- move, now!”_ The last word was a scream and Keith moved just in time to avoid a huge laser beam, bigger than the beams from twenty of the smaller ships put together. _“Keith!”_ The shrill scream was pure anguish.  

“I’m fine,” he gasped out, his heart thudding from the scare, “I’m alive.” He sped the lion away from that spot quickly, getting himself back on track and shooting at the other ships once he was far enough from it. If Allura hadn’t warned him he would have been dead now. Now it was all real. He had come close to death before, in their last battle, but this was somehow more final. He could be dead right now.

Telling himself not to dwell on it, he sped towards Shiro, helping get rid of all the ships that were targeting him, because he had the most powerful, dominant lion. As he fought them off, he thought of who the ‘him’ could be. When he couldn’t come up with an answer, he asked, “Lance, who is he?” He didn’t clarify what he meant by ‘he’, but Lance understood.

Lance said a name Keith couldn’t hear so Keith asked him to repeat it. _“Lotor.”_

“Who is Lotor?”

_“Zarkon’s son.”_

Keith nearly crashed his lion into the Castle of Lions, which was shaking as if an earthquake hit it, the sand beneath it flying up in murky clouds. And the Galra were still attacking, still killing each other rather than the paladins of Voltron. Keith wanted to scream at them to stop. Something inside him was torn apart each time he saw the Galra blow each other up accidentally and he couldn’t bear to keep watching it. There was something wrong, so _wrong_ about it. He could hear the Galra’s horrified shouts in his head, see their tortured expressions and the pain on their otherwise emotionless faces. _Stop_ , he told himself. He needed to stop. Galra didn’t have feelings. They were evil.

But he knew it wasn’t true. He couldn’t generalize an entire race like that. He knew they were being controlled by their leader. By _Lotor_. Something deep inside him knew he was telling himself that they were all evil to justify the fact that they were murdering so many of them, even though the Galra were trying to kill them. He stopped himself again, angrily reprimanding himself. He couldn’t start thinking like this just because he found out he was part Galra. He wasn’t Galra. He had no connection to them. If he could kill that side of himself, he would.

And Lotor. He didn’t know Zarkon had a son. Was his son as evil as him? Was he worse, or was he better? If Lotor’s mother was the Altean alchemist Honerva, which she must have been, did Lotor have the kindness, the goodness, of the Alteans in him? _Or maybe not the goodness,_ he reminded himself. After all, Lance did say that the Altean empire enslaved people with a serum against their will. But did that mean the Altean citizens were also evil? Were they even told about the horrific acts their queen allowed?

Those questions were for another time and Keith had to remind himself that he was not playing a shooting game here. Yes, his lion kept him safe, but if he was hit by even one of those monster lasers, he would be finished. This wasn’t the time for a philosophical debate with himself.

Then, the comm crackled and a voice appeared over it, but it wasn’t someone he had heard before. The voice was smooth, charismatic, like the flowing river he had seen in the cave of the blue lion.

_“Paladins of Voltron. Forgive me for attacking like this, but I thought it would show you how willing I am to endure losses for the sake of making peace with you. We all know Voltron would easily best even my most skilled soldiers, though I must say I am surprised that Voltron has not made an appearance yet.”_

All the ships had stopped attacking and they were easy targets but the lions were frozen, listening to the voice of who must have been Lotor in spellbound silence. Or maybe fearful silence.

_“I would like to put forward an offer. Come with me to my base of operations, where I will offer you a place to stay while we discuss a peace treaty that will be sure to end the remaining distrust between our nations. Our nations, of course, meaning the strong nations of Altea and the Galran Empire._

Keith was pretty sure it was officially the Altean Empire, but he wasn’t going to correct Lotor, if only out of worry that Lotor would end the peace discussion and Lance’s nation would fall into an even worse state.

_“If you will accept, I will take you to my main base and we can begin immediately.”_

Allura was the first to speak, her voice strong and angry. _“We will never make peace with you. You attacked us. The Galran Empire has attacked us for thousands of years and we will never forgive you for that!”_

 _“Princess Allura.”_ Lotor was speaking respectfully and Keith could imagine him bowing to the Altean princess. _“More than anyone, I know the atrocities my Galran comrades have committed in the past years. My own father cast me out into exile. But I am not my father. When I speak, my words are an oath I vow to keep.”_

Lotor certainly knew how to talk. He was well-spoken, silver-tongued, but Keith didn’t know if they could trust him. From what Keith had heard of him so far and from the impression he was developing of him now, he definitely did not trust Lotor at all, but he wasn’t sure what Allura would think. He hoped Allura didn’t like him either because if she trusted him and he betrayed them…

 _“Dear princess,”_ Lotor continued. _“I can tell, you do not trust me and do not believe what I speak is true. But I assure you it is. Galran blood may run in my veins but I was raised as an Altean by my mother, who remembered enough of her Altean past to know that she wanted to raise her only child that way.”_

“... _Your mother is Honerva?”_

_“She was.”_

Unfortunately, the fact that Lotor was half-Altean obviously influenced Allura’s decision a lot. On the screen, Keith could see her wavering, torn between her loyalty to the Alteans and her distrust of the Galrans. Keith had logically assumed that Honerva was Lotor’s mother after Lance told him Lotor was Zarkon’s son, as he knew that Honerva and Zarkon were married, but Allura hadn’t made the connection before and she was reeling from it. Even before she said the words, Keith knew what she was going to say.

 _“This changes everything,”_ she whispered to herself, so quiet that Keith could barely hear her. Louder, she said, _“We need time to decide. Will you give us a day?”_

 _“Certainly,”_ Lotor replied. _“I will call off my fleet and will return, alone, tomorrow. I await your response.”_

The fleet was retreating now, melting into the shadows as if dissolving into the water, and disappearing into the distance.

Allura was right. Though it wasn’t necessarily because of the discovery that Lotor existed and was half-Altean, it applied to this entire battle. And the offer.

This changed everything.

-

They gathered around the table and sat down to eat that evening, but the food was the basic food goo again. The tone was somber and when the food was finished they all pushed it away so they could discuss their decision as soon as possible. The whole affair had a business-like tone to it and Keith didn’t like it. It was a side of Allura he had never seen before and the unfamiliarity was disconcerting.

“What do you all think?” Allura asked finally.

“I vote no,” Lance said, his tone firm. “I don’t trust that guy.”

“Me too,” Pidge agreed. “Taking him up on his offer would be like handing him a knife and baring our backs to him.”

“He is Altean,” Allura countered. “Altean blood runs in his veins.”

“It doesn’t matter. He’s done terrible things. We shouldn’t trust him just because he is Altean.”

“Alteans are all trustworthy,” Allura said, lifting her chin in arrogant pride. Yes, Keith definitely hadn’t seen this side of her before. “It’s in our blood. We are raised to be truthful and honest.”

“That’s pretty elitist,” Lance commented. “Just look at the queen. She enslaves innocent people. She’s evil. Most Alteans nowadays are evil.”

Allura gasped, her eyes impossibly huge and her lips turning down. “Oh! How could you? Altea would never enslave people! How could you say such a thing, Lance?”

Lance glanced around the room as if searching for something more interesting with which to entertain himself. “You haven’t read the news since you got out of the cryo-pods, have you? The only reason Altea won the war was because they worked with the Blade of Marmora and tricked them into using the serum on the Galrans to enslave them. The queen’s dungeons are full of them. They even imprisoned some of the Blades.”

“They would never!”

“They did,” Hunk confirmed. “Everyone knows. The queen bans the media from saying it, but everyone knows it anyway.”

Allura shook her head, tears welling up. Her world was being turned upside down in front of them – the nation she had loved so much, worshipped even, turned out to be the very thing she was fighting against.

“Allura,” Shiro said gently. “It’s alright.”

She just shook her head again, burying her face in her hands in distress.

“We still need to make a decision about Lotor,” Pidge said, logical and calculative as always. “Shiro, what do you think?”

As the leader of Voltron, the final decision was Shiro’s to make, though Lotor had obviously directed his offer toward Allura. Shiro said, “I think we shouldn’t go.”

“It’s final then.” Pidge looked satisfied.

“No.”

They looked at Allura.

“No,” she said again, lowering her hands as her face hardened. “We will go. It is only through this meeting with Lotor that we can save Altea.”

“What do you mean?” Shiro asked, confused.

“Lotor will help us save Altea,” she said. “He knows about Altea. I have been asleep for many years, but he has been awake and he knows all about it. As the leader of the Galra, he knows all of Altea’s secrets. He is the only one who can help us restore Altea to its former state.”

“Are you joking?” Keith asked, speaking for the first time in a while. “We’re going to fly right into the base of the Galra emperor because you want to ‘make Altea great again’?”

Allura glared at him. “That is exactly what we are going to do. You don’t understand, Keith. I need to save Altea.”

“No,” Keith said. “I’m not going.”

“You must go.”

“I won’t. You can’t make me do it.”

“Yes, I can.”

“You can’t physically force me to do it.”

Allura scrambled to find something to say, aware that she was losing the argument. “If you won’t go, then…then… you’re off Voltron! You won’t pilot the red lion anymore.”

“Thank you,” Keith said. He wouldn’t have to go and he wouldn’t have to be part of Voltron anymore. This was exactly what he wanted. “I never wanted to pilot the red lion anyway.”

Allura’s face was bright red with anger and her fists were clenched. “You will pilot the red lion and you will go!”

“No,” Keith said again, his tone bored. If he showed Allura how much he didn’t care about this maybe she would believe him. “I’m not going. Lance and I will leave, and we won’t have to think about Voltron ever again. And that’s exactly what I want.”

Lance didn’t say anything but he reached out to hold Keith’s hand under the table.

“You will not,” Allura commanded.

“If you want me to stay, then we’re not going with Lotor.”

There was now a peculiar glint in Allura’s eyes that Keith didn’t trust. “Fine. We won’t go.”

Keith frowned, suspicious. “Just like that?”

She nodded. “Excuse me.” She pushed back her chair and swam out of the room.

Keith had no idea what she was going to do, but it couldn’t be something good.

-

Keith was woken by a powerful shaking sensation, like he was thrust into a blender.

“Can’t we wake up normally just once?” Lance complained beside him, pushing his face into Keith’s shoulder to avoid the sudden brightness – the lights spontaneously switched on and when Keith tried to switch them off they wouldn’t go off. They stayed on.

The door opened and Shiro peeked in. “Are you decent?”

“Yes,” Keith said, sitting up. They were both shirtless but then again, since they were underwater they always were. He wasn’t sure what part of a tail could be considered indecent. “What is that shaking?”

Shiro’s face was grim. “That’s what I was going to talk to you about. Allura launched the castle in the middle of the night.”

Though Keith’s mind was still addled by sleep, he instantly comprehended what that meant. “That means…”

“Yes,” Shiro said. “We’re in Lotor’s base right now.”                        

-

Keith was furious. He had never been so angry with Allura. The corners of his vision were tinted red and it only served to infuriate him further when he stormed into the control room and Allura was standing on the blue platform, calmly looking down at him.

“Something wrong?” she asked evenly.

“You kidnapped us,” he said, his voice hard and cold. “You betrayed us. We trusted you to look after us and you threw us into the enemy’s lair.”

Allura flinched as though he had slapped her. His words were knives cutting into her skin. “I didn’t-”

“Don’t bother. You did what you thought was right and you lost our trust because of it.” The words were poison he was desperate to spit out of his mouth. “I hope you’re happy.”

“Of course I’m not,” she whispered. “But I had to do this. Someday, you will understand.”

“I will _never_ understand you.”

“Please, Keith-”

Not bothering to listen to her pleas, he turned around and swam out of the room. Still on the platform, she couldn’t follow. Lance was waiting outside for him and Keith swam into his arms, leaning his head against his chest while Lance rested his chin on the top of Keith’s head.

“She betrayed us,” Keith whispered. “She betrayed me. I trusted her.”

“Sweetheart, try to understand her,” Lance said. “She’s finding out that her beloved nation is evil and creates slaves. Of course she will try to do her best to save it. Even if it means betraying her friends.”

“Not you too. Lance, she’s known me since I was eleven. Imagine betraying someone you’ve known since they were a child. She calls me her _brother._ She betrayed her little brother.”

“And when she looks at you, all she can think of is how she betrayed that little eleven-year-old that she loves so much,” Lance said gently.

He was still too angry to forgive her, but he knew he would forgive her at some point because what Lance was saying made sense. It still hurt.

“She loves you a lot, Keith. If it were you instead of Altea she would betray us all over again to save you,” Lance said. “Don’t stay too angry at her.”

Keith leaned up to kiss the corner of Lance’s jaw, leaving a trail of kisses all the way to the corner of his lips. “When did you get so wise?”

“Since I had to comfort my boyfriend for each little thing he gets upset about,” Lance murmured as they let their mouths fall together, moving his hands down to Keith’s waist, right at the line he loved so much where his smooth skin turned into scales. “You’re getting so skinny now.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“I’m not sure,” Lance mused. “It might not be healthy. On the other hand…”

“What?”

“You look great,” Lance said, pulling him in for another kiss. “But you always do. And you’re getting so muscular.”

“I hadn’t noticed,” Keith glanced down at his arms. Lance was right. The constant exercise and training had built muscle, not enough to make it look like he slipped watermelons under his skin but enough to make him look strong and athletic. And he didn’t just look like it – he _was_ strong now. He had been fit before but his muscles had never been this powerful. He hoped it was the training and not his Galra blood finally making an appearance.

Lance seemed to be thinking about that as well, because he said, “Do you think you’ll start looking like a Galra at some point?”

“Probably not,” Keith said. “If I didn’t look like one until now I don’t think it will happen. Not counting what happened in Altea.”

Lance hummed in agreement. “If you’re lucky, someday you’ll be taller than me.”

“We’re the same height!”

“I’m an inch taller,” Lance corrected.

“Maybe half an inch. Not more.”

Lance grinned at him lazily, tracing the lines of Keith’s lips with his thumb. “Half an inch is still half an inch taller than you are.”

“Fuck you.”

“You’re so mean.” Lance pouted. “You’re really hurting my feelings, Keef.”

“You deserve to have your feelings hurt if you call me Keef.”

“Are you so mean because you’re short?”

“Fuck off.”

“You don’t mean that.”

Keith leaned in to place a short kiss on Lance’s mouth, appreciating the taste of him before saying, “You’re right. I don’t.”

“You act tough but you’re secretly really mushy on the inside, Kogane,” Lance informed him. Keith usually didn’t like his surname, often wishing it was the same as Shiro’s so he could really feel a part of his family, but hearing it on Lance’s lips made it sound like the most beautiful name in the world.

“Secretly?” Keith asked. “It’s not a secret. Remember that speech I made to you just before we started dating?”

“In all fairness, I forced you to say it,” Lance said.

Keith shrugged. “I probably would have said it anyway.”

“That’s adorable. I feel bad. I didn’t give you a speech.”

“You did that whole angsty ‘I love you and I don’t care what anyone thinks’ thing after I nearly got arrested, so I think that counts.”

Lance rolled his eyes. “Our story is too cliché.”

Keith smiled softly. “It’s _our_ story.”

With the path Allura had just forced them onto, Keith didn’t know how their story would end.

-

When they were finally allowed to leave the castle, they swam out of it and onto the Galra base. To Keith’s surprise, it was on land, not underwater. Instantly, his tail transformed into a pair of legs and he collapsed on the ground, not used to walking on two legs after spending so long as a mermaid. Merman, technically. He pushed himself to his feet but his walk was wobbly. The taste of the air rather than water was strange, the feeling of the oxygen rushing down his throat rather than being absorbed through his skin, as it must have been absorbed when he was a merman. He looked at the other paladins to see how they were doing.

Shiro and Pidge’s tails had turned back into legs as well and they were in a similar state to Keith, unable to walk properly. However, Lance, Allura, Coran and Hunk still had their tails. Allura and Coran were both concentrating, their gazes fixed on the distance. After a few seconds, there was a soft popping noise and their tails turned into legs as well. He assumed it was easier for them to change between a tail and legs because they had done it before, but Lance and Hunk had never done it before. Lance was also concentrating, struggling to change his tail into legs, but it wasn’t working.

Keith was about to go over and help him when a nearby Galra sentry easily picked him up. Lance squirmed, uncomfortable with being carried by the Galra sentry.

“Put me down,” he said. However, the sentry walked over to the other end of the room. “Put me down!”

However, Lance fell silent when a figure entered the room. He was tall, taller even than Allura and Shiro, and his skin was tinted lilac. He had long, flowing white hair that fell freely, not tied back, and he was wearing a royal purple robe.

He smiled at them he saw them, but it wasn’t a happy smile. It was an arrogant, knowing smile. “Ah, paladins of Voltron. Welcome. Your lions will be taken care of.”

Immediately, Keith felt someone close their hands around his wrists and pull them behind his back, swiftly kneeing the back of his knees and making him collapse. Instantly, they pressed their arm against Keith’s throat so he couldn’t turn back and see who it was, but the color of their skin gave away the fact that it was another Galra soldier. Angrily, he tried to break free but they held him too tightly for him to move at all, pressing their arm harder against Keith’s throat and making him burst out coughing. “What the fuck?”

A quick glance around the room showed him that the other paladins were in the same position, except for Lance, who was being carried by a sentry standing right next to Lotor. Lance was hitting out at them, trying to free himself, but they weren’t letting him go either.

Lotor laughed, the sound sending chills down Keith’s spine. “Lance McClain. I do believe we have met.”

“Tell him to let go of me, you little fucker,” Lance spit, throwing his elbow back to hit the Galra soldier right in the neck. He didn’t even flinch.

“We have met,” Lotor said, nodding to himself. “And I know you. I know you _very_ well. But I can sense you do not want me to tell the others.”

“Shut the fuck up!” Lance yelled, still trying to escape from the soldier. “Get the fuck off me!”  

“No need for such language. But ever since… I have observed you. Your skills, your mindset, your attitude towards the Galra. It is all so… fascinating.”

“I’m not a species you can observe,” Lance said. “Let us go!”

Lotor laughed again, now turning to look at Allura. “My dear princess. I fear you have made a dreadful mistake.”

“I never should have trusted you,” she said, her voice full of pure hatred.

“But alas, you did. You betrayed your friends because of your blind trust. And now you will see the consequences of that.”

Lotor smiled but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Guards. Take them away.”

Something smashed into Keith’s head, and his vision went black.


	16. Chapter 16

The first thing he noticed was that he was in a cell. It was a tiny cell, with barely enough space to stand up in, let alone walk in. There was a tiny window close to the ceiling that was blocked with thick bars of iron. Or maybe it was something stronger than iron. The walls were purple and Keith thought that when this was all over, he never wanted to see the color purple ever again. He was wearing some sort of robe, like the ones he was always given at the hospital, made out of a scratchy uncomfortable material.

When he checked himself for any other injuries, he realized that the Galra hadn’t taken his knife, which he had brought with him. The knife was strapped to his thigh but it wouldn’t be much use here.

The back of his head was throbbing. Slowly, he reached up to touch it, and when he brought his fingers away they were stained with blood.

The wall slid open and a sentry stood in front of him, carrying a thin tube full of a bubbly, frothy liquid.

“Here,” he said. “Lunch.”

“Where is Lance?” Keith jumped to his feet to attack the sentry but the door slammed shut in his face, pushing him back.

Through the door, he heard the sentry say, “He is Lotor’s now.”

“Like hell he is,” Keith said. “Where is he?”

Again, the sentry stated, “He is Lotor’s now.” He heard footsteps. The sentry must have walked away.

This was all Allura’s fault. If she just listened to them and didn’t accept Lotor’s offer they wouldn’t be here right now. And the only reason she trusted him was because he was part Altean. That was probably what irritated Keith the most. She didn’t even have a solid reason – she trusted him based on his race. There was no doubt about it now. Lotor was pure evil. He hoped Lotor wasn’t doing anything bad to Lance. The way Lotor had spoken implied that his main focus was on Lance and there was no telling what that meant; if Lotor liked Lance more than the others or hated him the most.

As the hours passed, he lost track of how long he had been in that cell. It could have been hours, days, weeks, and it would all feel the same to Keith because in here time didn’t exist. The only upside of it was that Keith had plenty of time to think, though that wasn’t necessarily an upside. Actually, it wasn’t an upside at all because all Keith could think of was how he failed Lance. He should have stopped Allura, refused to get off the ship, fought back harder, destroyed every sentry in the place until Lotor promised to take him but let Lance go free. He would give himself a thousand times over to save Lance but he knew Lotor would never agree. Lotor wanted Lance, not Keith. But what did he want him for? Maybe it was because Lance was one of the Chosen. Maybe it was because Lance had fought against the Galra for longer than any of the others.

Or maybe it was just something about Lance himself.

There was knocking at his door, and it slid open again. There was another sentry, this one shorter than the last one Keith had seen. Keith still hadn’t drunk the tube the last sentry brought him but this one was carrying another tube.

The sentry held up the tube and bent down to put it on the ground. Grabbing the opportunity, Keith kicked out with all his might to hit the center of the sentry’s chest. They gasped and fell to the ground, clutching their chest. Keith jumped on them, pressing his knee down on their chest and wrapping his hands around their neck.

“Where is Lance?” he hissed.

The sentry shook their head desperately, still gasping for air. “I don’t- I don’t know!”

“Of course you do.” Keith pressed his thumb into the hollow at the base of their neck where he knew if he pressed hard enough he could suffocate them to death. “Tell me.”

“I swear,” the sentry choked out, flailing their arms around. “Please!”

Keith pressed even harder. He overestimated the endurance of the Galrans, because the sentry’s head lolled to one side and their eyes slid shut. He got off them and walked out of the open door, not sure if he was hoping that they were dead or not. The corridors here were empty and lined with cells. He peeked into each cell as he passed them but they were all empty. He wanted to find the others, but Lance was his priority. He had to find Lance first.

He kept to the walls, keeping his head low to sneak around the base. Then, he realized what an idiot he was. He rushed back to his cell, where the sentry was still knocked out. Quickly, he pulled the sentry’s clothes and armor off and put them on, leaving his own robe draped over the sentry. The clothes were made of a comfortable, silky material and the armor on top of them was heavy but strong, designed to withstand high amounts of pressure. Now he could move around the base comfortably. He picked up the sentry’s gun and continued down the corridor again, not needing to stay hidden. Soon enough, he passed another sentry but they didn’t notice that anything was off since the armor’s visor kept his face hidden.

After a while, he came to a door. It was a door similar to the one he had found the red lion behind and there was that same square black screen in the center of the wall, asking for a handprint. It dawned on him that the reason the black screen had accepted his handprint last time, when he was retrieving the red lion, was because he was part Galra. He had never considered that, but it explained a lot.

The doors opened and he walked through the doorway, but it only opened up onto another corridor. So, he continued down that corridor. There were more Galra sentries here and they all ignored each other as they walked past each other. There were two sentries leaned against the wall, chatting.

When Keith walked past, one of them whistled and tilted his visor up, revealing his face to wink at him. “Hey, girl. You ready to go out with me yet?”

The other Galran laughed. The Galran Keith was impersonating must have been a girl. He had no idea what type of girl she was, though – was she dating this guy? Did she hate him?

When Keith didn’t reply, the Galran who had whistled pouted in an exaggerated way. “Oh, honey, don’t be like that.”

Keith scoffed and walked away. He didn’t care about blowing his cover at this point – he wasn’t going to deal with being mistaken for a girl and cat-called. Though it was surprising that the Galra acted like normal teenage boys. He walked past, ignoring the glances the other Galrans shot at him. This was just his luck; stealing the armor of the ‘most eligible bachelorette’ in the Galra base. And he was about the same height and build as her, to make things worse.

He used his handprint to go through another door. This corridor was teeming with Galra. He had a feeling the deeper he continued into the base, the closer he was to Lotor. The Galra here all had more powerful guns and bulkier armor. In fact, many of the Galra looked like they were robots, with glistening metal limbs.

As Keith was about to unlock another door, one of the Galrans stopped him.

This Galran’s helmet didn’t have a visor and he was quite attractive, by Galra standards. He was frowning. “You’re not supposed to be here, Zora.”

Internally, Keith sighed. He couldn’t believe he had to do this. He shifted his weight onto one leg and put his hand on one hip. “You couldn’t let me in, darling?”

The Galran’s cheeks darkened and his eyes flickered downwards. “Well…”

“Come on,” Keith cooed, his face flaming red in embarrassment. It was a good thing Lance would never find out about this because he would never stop teasing him. He forced himself to lift his hands and place them on the Galran’s shoulders. “Lotor has an important task for me. And I promise—" he leaned closer to whisper into the Galran’s ear— “I’ll make it up to you.”

The other Galran bit his lip and crossed his legs uncomfortably. _This is so wrong,_ Keith thought to himself.

Keith made his voice as sensual and smooth as he could. “Just this time, darling.”

“Fine.” The Galran sighed. “Go through.” He moved as if about to touch Keith, but stopped himself. Quietly, he whispered, “Meet me over by the cells this evening. You know which cells.”

“Will do,” Keith said. He was not going to meet him. The Galran nodded and moved aside to let him pass through the door.

This corridor was completely empty. There were no sentries at all. This must be it. He could sense that Lance was close.

He walked through the corridor, careful not to make any noise. There was no one here to catch him but he was nervous anyway. This didn’t seem right. This corridor was longer than the others, with tens of right and left turns. He still continued and counted as five minutes passed, then ten, then fifteen, twenty, twenty-five. Finally, he reached a large circular atrium. At the other end of the atrium there was a large set of double doors that reached the ceiling. Lotor was in there. He knew it.

Keith couldn’t enter through the doors without Lotor noticing. His eyes scanned the ceiling for any other entrances, and he spotted a vent at the top right corner. It was too high. He wouldn’t be able to reach it by jumping or climbing on one of the wooden boxes he had spotted in the previous corridors. Maybe this armor had something that could help. When he was putting it on he had noticed a large metal pack on the backside. Desperately praying that it was a jetpack, he fumbled behind himself for any buttons.

His fingers touched something round and hoping it wasn’t a self-destruct button, he pressed it. There was a moment of silence, then he heard a soft _vroom_ and he realized he was being lifted off the floor. He glanced behind himself to make sure it wasn’t some mystery Galran that was lifting him up, but no. It was the jetpack.

When he reached the vent his head bumped the ceiling painfully but he ignored it, hooking his fingers around the edge of the metal and pulling. It was tightened with screws so it wouldn’t work, but he didn’t have a screwdriver. Cringing, he slotted his nail into the screw and turned it to the right. Immediately, the nail broke and small spots of blood fell onto the screw. He tried to twist the screw around with his fingers but it didn’t work. He would have to use his nails.

Choosing the finger that had the nail that looked the strongest, Keith pressed the nail into the thin slot again and twisted it around. It felt like his nail was going to be pulled out of his skin but he kept pressing, biting his lip to stop himself from screaming. Still he pushed it, feeling the screw finally begin to move. The nail was cracking and before he could stop it broke, letting loose another stream of blood. He gasped and wrapped his other hand around the finger, squeezing it tightly to stop the blinding pain. He let go of his finger to reveal the jagged remnants of the nail covered in blood. He couldn’t keep doing this. He couldn’t.

He had to. But he couldn’t keep using his nails. He tried twisting the screw with his fingers again, and felt a rush of relief when he realized it was loosened enough to come off almost easily.

There were still 3 screws left. By the time they were all unscrewed he would have no fingernails left at all. He gritted his teeth. _I can do it._

Three screws later and seven broken fingernails later, Keith pushed the jetpack off the armor so he could fit into the vent and crawled in. As soon as he got the vent cover off, he realized he could have used his mother’s knife and he cursed himself. His hands were slippery with blood and left a trail as he crawled, all the oil and dust in the vent sticking to his wet, raw fingers. After a few minutes, he saw the vent cover at the other end of the vent. He peered through it at the scene below him.

The room was the same size and shape as the circular atrium, and it was quiet enough that Keith could hear every word being said. The room was empty except for a table covered in some instruments Keith couldn’t see and a single chair, to which a person was bound. There were only two people in the room. Lotor, and Lance.

Lance. Lance was tied to the chair, shirtless, his hands tied behind the chair. And he had legs. His beautiful tail was gone and replacing them were a pair of legs. But his legs were bruised and battered, tied to the chair as well.

Lotor was leaning close to him.

“Lance,” he was saying. “You must understand. When you ended it, I was broken. All I wanted was you back.”

“Aww.” Lance’s voice was sarcastic and mocking. “Did poor little Lotor miss his ex? Can’t he sleep alone?”

Keith froze. _Ex?_

Lotor ignored Lance and said, “When you left, I lost everything. Have you not enough sympathy to understand how I felt?”

“I do understand,” Lance said. “I thought it was sweet how you were so sensitive. Now I see it’s just pathetic. _You’re_ pathetic.”

Lotor’s face changed from misery to cold indifference and he straightened up. Faking his emotions came easily to him and Keith felt an overwhelming wave of loathing for him. “Very well.  If you will not comply with my kindness then you will have to face my wrath.”

Lance threw his head back and laughed, the sound echoing through the quiet chamber. “Kindness? This is what you call kindness? You manipulated me. You made me think I was in love with you when all I was in love with was the fact that you were kinder than all the other people who played with me. And that was all a charade.”

Still staring at him with a neutral expression, Lotor said, “This is my final warning.”

“Do your worst, coward.”

Lotor drew his hand back and slapped Lance across his face. A bright red handprint was left on his cheek.

“Is that what you call your wrath?” Lance asked. Smirking, he turned his other cheek to Lotor. “Go ahead. Hit me again. Show me how angry you are with me.”

“I am angry with you,” Lotor replied.

“Show me how angry you are,” Lance said. “Show me how I hurt you. Make me feel that pain. _Make me feel your pain._ ”

The words had the effect he wanted – Lotor’s face turned red and he slapped Lance again, repeatedly, his nails scraping against Lance’s skin and his ring catching on his lip.

Lance’s lip was cut and bleeding, but he stretched it in a smile and said, “I didn’t feel a thing.”

Lotor hit him again, unable to control himself anymore. “Stop talking.”

“No,” Lance said. “You love me, huh? Then go ahead and listen to me talk.”

Without warning, Lotor leaned down and grabbed a fistful of Lance’s hair, yanking Lance to him into a wild kiss, his nails digging into his skull and his tongue probing his mouth. The kiss was open-mouthed, Lotor’s mouth falling open and pushing his saliva into Lance’s. He clearly didn’t care about the tenderness of two pairs of lips pressed against each other, because it looked like he was focused on pushing his tongue as far down Lance’s throat as he could.

Lance bit down on his lip, hard, making Lotor jump back. Lotor’s lips were covered in blood too now but Keith didn’t know if it was his own or Lance’s.

Keith’s own mouth had fallen open, staring at them in shock. Finding out that they used to date – it was surprising and he didn’t know how that would have happened, but he could deal with it. Seeing Lotor force Lance to kiss him? That was not okay.

“Get the fuck away from me.” Rage was flaring in Lance’s face and fire was scorching in his veins. “I will never love you.”

“Why?” Lotor asked, wiping away the blood. It was still on his fingers and he smirked before leaning closer to smear it on Lance’s cheeks, intending to humiliate him. Lance stared back at him, determined not to show any weakness. “There must be someone else.”

“There’s no one,” Lance said, not wanting Lotor to target Keith in his anger. “It’s you I have a problem with.”

“Would it be so bad to be with me?” Lotor tilted Lance’s chin up with his finger. “Darling. I would give you whatever you wanted.”

“You wiped your blood over my face,” Lance pointed out. “That’s some psycho shit. You made me kiss you. You’re a murderer.”

“I am not a murderer,” Lotor said gently. “I only made you kiss me to show you how much you have missed it.”

“I didn’t miss _shit_. I thank God every day I got away from you.”

Lotor raised an eyebrow. “You are not religious.”

“That shows how happy I was to get away from you.”

“Lance. My sunshine.”

“I’m not your sunshine.”

“My sunshine,” Lotor repeated. He leaned closer to stare into Lance’s eyes, running his knuckle along his cheekbones. “Let me look into those beautiful eyes. I know you still want me. Tell me you love me and I promise I will always be yours.”

“I will never love you.” Mustering up all his strength, Lance spit onto Lotor’s face, a mixture of blood and saliva.

Lotor was seething. Keith had never seen anyone so angry and he was genuinely scared Lotor would murder Lance. If only Lance wasn’t always so stubborn.

“Very well,” Lotor said, forcing his expression to stay neutral and his voice stable. “Very well. I see I cannot persuade you otherwise. In that case, I am afraid I will have to punish you.” There was now a dangerous glint in his eyes.

“Like I’m some two-year-old who broke his toys,” Lance commented, licking his lips to get rid of the blood. “Go ahead. Try.”

Lotor turned away and picked an object off the table, turning back to Lance. With growing horror, Keith realized the objects were torture instruments. The one he was holding now was a thin, sharp scalpel. _Oh, Lance._ He took deep breaths to calm himself down before he started hyperventilating. He couldn’t watch this. He wanted to scream and stop Lotor but he couldn’t; it might only get Lance into worse trouble if Lotor thought Lance set up the whole thing.

“My sunshine,” Lotor said, saying the endearment as if it were a filthy insult he was throwing at him, “I hope you have a high pain tolerance.”

Lance’s pupils were smaller from his fear, but he defiantly said, “I guess we’ll find out.”

“We will,” agreed Lotor, tracing the line of Lance’s cheekbones with the scalpel. “We can begin here.” Almost delicately, he sliced a thin red line through the skin. Lance trembled, not saying anything. Lotor turned the scalpel around the other way and cut another line, barely a centimeter under the first one. Then, he drew a series of red lines in a crisscross pattern between the two main lines. After a minute, he stepped back to admire his work.

“Thanks for the decoration,” Lance croaked. Keith wished Lance would stay quick so this would end quickly, but Lotor had no intention of making it end quickly, especially if Lance was going to continue talking back to him.

“Now,” Lotor continued, ignoring him, “We can start on those pretty lips. After all, you have no use for them if you will not be kissing me. Unless you want one last kiss?”

“Never,” Lance said.

Lotor laughed. “Very well.” He pressed the scalpel to the corner of Lance’s lips and dragged it across the skin as if he was applying lipliner. Fresh pearls of blood burst forth and Lotor laughed again, delighted.

“Oh, how lovely. How about we see how much blood those pretty lips have in them?”

And Keith had to watch in silence as Lotor carved a line around Lance’s mouth, right where Keith knew his skin was the most sensitive. He watched as Lotor cut through the nerves and tilted the scalpel on its side so the blade would be blunter, drawing out the torture. By now Lance’s lips were dripping with blood but he was still clenching his jaw, determined not to yell out.

When he was finished with the lips, Lotor leaned back to have a look at Lance’s face again. “How I wish I could taste the blood off your lips.”

Somehow, Lance could still speak clearly. “Don’t even try.”

Lotor’s eyes narrowed. “Do not worry. I have other plans.” He stepped over back to the table to pick up something else, something that looked like a ballpoint pen with a blade instead of a nib. Lance was shaking now, his fists clenched. “Are you scared?”

“No,” Lance said, his lip wobbling. Keith’s own face was twisted with pain, his limbs drawn in on themselves. The position he was stuck in the vent was painful and was hurting his back, but he couldn’t go. He couldn’t leave Lance.

Lotor gently dragged the tip of the ‘pen’ along Lance’s other cheek, watching as yet another red line appeared. Finally, the pen reached the bottom of Lance’s eye. “Your eyes are so beautiful, my sunshine.” He leaned closer, his lips parting in a wicked smile. “Believe me, it will hurt me more than it hurts you to remove them.”

And he raised the pen.

Keith couldn’t watch this. He squeezed his eyes shut but he didn’t plug his ears, and he paid the price for that a few seconds later when a scream ripped loose from Lance, more agonized and desperate than anything Keith had heard before. Then another scream, and another. Crying, sobbing- another scream. Keith was crying too now, tears streaming down his cheeks. He should have burst through the doors, not caring if Lotor saw him. _He should have saved Lance._

Lotor’s soothing voice rang through the air. “Relax, my love. It is over.”

“You bastard,” Lance sobbed, his voice raising to a scream. “You bastard! You evil, cruel, vile, vicious-”

“Shh.” Keith could imagine Lotor putting his finger over Lance’s ruined lips. “Are you ready to pledge your love for me yet?”

“Never,” Lance cried. Another guttural scream, a wail.

Keith heard the sound of fabric tearing. “Here. This will stop the bleeding for now.”

Tentatively, Keith opened his eyes. Blood was caked all over Lance’s face as if a bucket of it had been poured over him, stemming from his eye, which was covered in a piece of fabric. Keith didn’t want to imagine what his eye looked like under it. Lance’s face was fully covered in blood, enough that his skin wasn’t visible at all.

Lotor trailed his hand down Lance’s face to his chest. “This is your last chance. I will stop if you tell you love me.”

At that moment, Keith wouldn’t have cared if Lance agreed to marry Lotor and promised to love him forever if it meant Lotor would stop torturing him. But Lance raised his head and spit, “Never.”

Lotor’s blade sliced through his skin easily, splitting the skin neatly to reveal the pale pink flesh beneath it, like the petals of a flower. He glanced up at Lance. “Hold your breath, sunshine.” Carefully, he edged the blade beneath the skin to lift the skin up from the flesh.

Keith almost threw up and it was only made worse when he saw how Lance was trying not to scream anymore, tears rushing down his face and mixing with the blood to spread over his chin. Lotor didn’t care. He continued moving the blade beneath Lance’s skin when, suddenly, he pulled it up to pull off a large section of skin. Lance’s scream wasn’t human. It was raw and tortured, piercing through the chamber and even worse than the pain itself.

Keith couldn’t stay here anymore. He moved back down the vent and jumped down, not caring if he broke his legs. Miraculously, he did a somersault as he landed and stood up again painlessly. He kicked the doors open and ran in, just as Lotor was about to attack again.

Lotor didn’t seem surprised to see him. “Ah, you. I was wondering when you would show up.”

Keith had never hated anyone so much. He had tunnel vision, his glare focused on Lotor. If he thought he knew hatred before this, he was mistaken. This… this was real hatred. This type of hatred boiled his blood, hardened his bones, made his head physically hurt with the power of it. His vision turned red.  

“Step away from him.”

Obediently, Lotor stepped away from Lance.

“Take out your sword,” Keith said.

“What sword?”

“I know you have a sword,” Keith replied. “We are going to fight this out, right here.”

“You have nerve,” Lotor said with a smile. “I respect you for that.” From behind him, he pulled out a long, obsidian-sharp sword that was stained red. “But I fear you forgot to bring your weapon.”

Keith took out his own knife.

Lotor stared at him for a moment, then burst out laughing. He laughed and laughed and said, “You will fight with that?”

“Yes,” Keith said steadily, keeping eye contact and hoping Lotor could see the depth of his hatred for him.

“You realize that is a dagger of the Blade of Marmora,” Lotor said. “It will only activate itself for a true Galra.”

Well. That explained why the dagger was so small when Ulaz had a full-sized sword. “I am one.”

“Go ahead, then. Activate the blade.”

Keith concentrated hard.

_Patience yields focus._

He had to be patient. The blade would activate itself for him. He was a Galra. Since he found out he was a Galra he had hated that side of himself but now he accepted it. It was part of who he was. He was Galra and he couldn’t change that. The blade had to see that. Purple sparks started appearing around the dagger and he could feel it shifting in his hand.

Suddenly, Lotor lunged towards him. Instinctively, Keith raised his hand to block with his dagger.

There was a burst of purple light, and when the light cleared he was holding a full-length sword, identical to Ulaz’s.

Lotor smirked at him with an air of superiority. “I knew all it needed to activate itself was a trigger.”

“Less talk and more fight,” Keith said, hiding his temporary mortification.

“I respect that,” Lotor replied.

And the fight began.

Adrenaline instantly burst into Keith’s bloodstream and his mind was empty. He wasn’t thinking, not focusing, not doing anything but blocking Lotor, dodging and doing what he could to stay alive until he could come up with a strategy.

But this was no time for strategy. This was instinct. This was what Keith was good at. He was born to hold this sword, born to destroy Lotor for what he had done to Lance. For what he had done to all of them. It was as if a switch had been turned on inside him and suddenly he was the one in control, the one sending Lotor back and the one making Lotor’s eyes widen in fear as he realized he underestimated Keith.

He slashed with his sword again and again, each time landing a new hit on Lotor’s skin. But the tables turned again and Lotor rolled forward to emerge behind him, about to stab Keith in the back when Keith whirled around, blocking the hit.

“You fight well,” Lotor said, trying to catch his breath as they continued the fight.

“I try,” Keith answered, swiftly darting to the side and pushing the sword forward, just as Lotor moved to Keith’s other side. It was a dance – they were dancing to the soundtrack of the clashing of their blades and their grunts, surrounded by the smell of blood and sweat. The smell of death. Lance was losing blood quickly and Keith had to end this fight before Lance bled out. _Bled to death._

Fueled by his fury, Keith powered forward, his blade moving too quickly for him to see anything but a purple and grey blur. And Lotor was getting desperate. He was tiring and couldn’t match Keith’s speed anymore. That was what Keith thought, but he somehow found the energy to grin and he was beating Keith again, his sword flying through the air and crashing into Keith’s with such force that it could have sliced through bone easily.

Now _Keith_ was getting tired, the adrenaline refusing to cooperate with him anymore. He hadn’t noticed when the wounds were fresh but Lotor had cut him as many times as Keith cut him, maybe even more so because Keith’s arms were stinging and his shirt was sliced to pieces. His Galra form would have come in useful here, with its extra strength and vision, but for some reason the transformation didn’t come and he was left alone in his wretched human state. His legs were shaking, his arms refusing to move, and before he knew it he was knocked down on the ground with Lotor’s foot on his chest and Lotor’s sword held to his neck.

“Any last words?” Lotor breathed, a maniac glint in his eyes, blood running down his face where Keith had cut him.

He was going to die. All his life, Keith had thought of the different ways in which he might die and none of them involved getting killed by an evil mermaid. It wasn’t his death he was scared of as much as he was scared of what Lotor would do to Lance after Keith was gone. He hoped Lotor would draw out his death so Lance had time to escape. Maybe being killed wouldn’t be so bad if Lance managed to get away.

A memory appeared in his head.

_They were sitting on the beach, watching the sunset together. The sunset was beautiful but all Keith could look at was Lance, more beautiful than the sun could ever hope to be. He glowed in the evening light, pale and golden._

_“There’s an old legend in Altea,” Lance said suddenly. “It says that the moon dies every day so the sun can shine, and in turn the sun sacrifices itself so the moon can shine during the night. It’s kind of creepy, but it’s pretty romantic. The sun and moon love each other enough to die for each other every day.”_

_“I’d die for you,” Keith said._

_Lance winced. “Please don’t. I could never live with myself if you did.”_

At the time, Keith had said the words knowing they were true but he had never thought it would actually happen. But if his death distracted Lotor enough for Lance to escape, he would willingly die.

This was real. He had avoided death before, but this time he couldn’t. Keith Kogane was going to die. And he would die for Lance. _Yes. This is what I want._

Keith noticed a hazy shape behind him and he grinned, the motion hurting his facial muscles. “I bet you’re really disappointed that you won’t get to see me die.”

Lotor looked confused.

He was about to say something.

Suddenly, he gasped and clutched his chest, where the silver point of a blade was poking through.

Blood was pouring out of his lips and he coughed, coughing up more blood. He fell to the floor, face-first, his white hair spreading out over the cold floor.

Lance was standing above him, his body caked with blood but a brilliant, exhausted smile on his face. The sword dropped from his hand and his smile fell as he swayed and dropped backwards, falling back into the soaked, crimson seat. Keith stood up and rushed to him, leaning over him and cupping his face in his hands, not caring that they were now both covered in blood.

“Lance,” Keith whispered, and they were kissing, kissing like they never had before, with more desperation and pain in it than ever before, and they were both crying, clinging onto each other and kissing each other harder like they would die if they didn’t, like they were going to die and this would be their final act. “I love you, I love you, I-”

“I love you, too,” Lance choked out. “Oh, God, Keith.” He was crying harder, letting go of Keith to bury his face in his hands. There was enough blood on his face that the piece of fabric stuck to his eye and wasn’t coming off, even with the wet tears soaking through it, and Keith thought that was for the best because he couldn’t see it, couldn’t force himself to see what had happened to Lance and what wouldn’t have happened if Keith was brave enough to go in the room just a bit earlier. However, he had to see it if they were going to treat it so he peeled away the fabric.

His eye socket was empty, full of blood, as if someone had scraped his eye out. As if someone had taken it out with a knife. Even the eyelid was cut out. Keith was crying again, fresh tears falling from his eyes, and he hugged Lance tighter, wishing he could take away all of Lance’s pain.

“Keith, don’t blame yourself. It’s not your fault.”

“It’s Lotor’s fault,” Keith said, but he didn’t care about Lotor anymore. Lotor was dead but they were _alive, alive, alive_ and they were safe now. It was all over.

-

When they returned to the ship, the other paladins leapt up from where they had been sitting on the steps. The paladins told them all the Galra here were dead and they were about to laugh with relief when they saw Keith and Lance alive, but they froze in horror as they realized how much blood they were both covered in, how Lance’s bare chest was split open and a large section of his skin was gone, leaving only exposed flesh, how one of Lance’s eye sockets were empty, how Keith’s arms were bleeding and how they were both shaking, refusing to let go of each other.

They were shoved into the ship and forced into the healing pods, and instantly the gas took over Keith’s mind and he didn’t know anything anymore.  When he was finally out, he saw that Lance was still in the pod.

“How long has it been?” he asked, his voice coming out as a dry rasp. He hadn’t drunken water in so long. Pidge must have noticed because she went to the other end of the room and took a water bottle out of the mini-fridge, handing it to Keith, who drank all of it in a single gulp.

“About a day,” Pidge said. “None of us were injured as badly as you.”

“Lotor is dead,” Keith said.

Slowly, Pidge reached out to pull Keith into a hug. Silently, they stayed like that until Allura walked in, her eyes wet and tears staining her cheeks.

“I’m so sorry,” she said. “I have no words. I’m so sorry.”

Keith took a deep breath. He knew Allura thought she was doing the right thing, but if she hadn’t done it none of this would have happened. “I’ll forgive you someday. But… not now. Not now.”

“I deserve that,” she whispered. “Can’t you try, Keith?”

Boiling hatred seared through him towards Allura and in that moment, he wanted to take out a sword and run her through with it. He clenched his fists and waited for the anger to pass. When he was composed, he said, “Lance was tortured because of you. He lost his eye. You… you have no idea what Lotor did to him.”

Allura nodded, more tears rolling down her cheeks. Keith couldn’t find any sympathy in himself for her.

“Where is Shiro?” he asked.

“He’s resting,” Allura said, sniffling. “He’s asleep. He doesn’t know you’re out and I didn’t want to wake him. He fought so many Galra… he’s exhausted.”

Keith was exhausted. He was done. He was done with Voltron.

It was then that he noticed that the castle wasn’t full of water anymore. “Where’s the water?”

“We went on land so it disappeared,” Allura said. “We’re on land now. We’re in some part of the desert, I think.”

Keith closed his eyes.

“Please take us home.”

-

When Shiro woke, Keith was sitting on the side of his bed, waiting patiently. Instead of commenting on Keith’s creepiness, he threw his arms around his little brother.

“I was so worried,” he murmured.

“Me too,” Keith said.

“Are you alright?” Shiro held him at arm’s length to inspect him for any visible injuries, his eyes scanning Keith’s arms, which were covered in scars. “Oh, Keith.”

“I’m alright,” Keith said, gently pushing Shiro away so he wouldn’t try to touch the scars.

“We should have been more careful,” Shiro mumbled. “I should have protected you. I failed you.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“I never should have let us join Voltron in the first place,” Shiro said. “I should have banned you from piloting the lion. We should have stayed on land.”

“I wouldn’t have listened to you.”

“At least we’re alright now.” Shiro frowned as he noticed Keith looking uncertain. “Do you have a question?”

“I think Allura wants to talk to you,” Keith said. “She looks really upset whenever someone mentions you. Did something happen?”

Shiro exhaled through his teeth, looking down at the ground. “We broke up.”

It was like being told that Keith’s parents were going to divorce. “What?”

“I can’t forgive what she did,” Shiro admitted. “It’s… she betrayed us. You’re this injured because of her. Lance… you already know.”

Keith understood what Shiro felt, but he would have thought that Shiro would be more understanding of how Allura felt. However, it wasn’t Keith’s decision to make, and as Shiro’s brother he was obligated to support him through everything. “I understand you.”

“Maybe someday,” Shiro said. “But not today.”

Keith understood.

 

-

It was another day before Lance was finally awake and able to leave the healing pod. He fell into Keith’s arms and Keith carried him to the sofa, letting him lay down and sigh, closing his eyes. Eye. The healing pod hadn’t been able to replace his lost eye, and it hadn’t erased the scars either. They would always be there.

“I’m so tired,” Lance said softly.

“I know,” Keith said, letting Lance rest his head on his lap and stroking his hair gently.

In the earlier days, when they first found the lions, they had talked about getting rid of the Galran empire first and then the Altean empire, but Keith didn’t want to anymore. The others could if they wanted to, but not him. He and Lance were going home.

“That was the third time.” Lance spoke suddenly. He let out a breath through his teeth, making a soft wheezing sound. “That was the third fucking time you’ve had to save me. I feel—” he sighed, his mouth twisting into a grimace— “I’m so pathetic.”

“No,” Keith said instantly. “You’re not pathetic, sweetheart. You couldn’t have done anything.”

“The other times-"

“Forget the past. It’s all over.”

“I can’t forget it. You always have to save me.” Lance’s body was tensed in his distress. “I can’t do anything by myself.”

“Of course you can. Listen to me, baby.” Keith looked down at Lance but his eye was still closed, squeezed shut like he was trying to block out a scary image. “We couldn’t have done any of this without you. You were the one that brought us all together, and without you we wouldn’t even have known what Voltron is. Maybe I saved you three times, but you sure as hell saved us a lot more than that. You’re the heart of Voltron.”

Lance was silent for a full minute. Then, he said, “I don’t want to be the heart anymore.”

“Then you won’t be,” Keith replied simply. “We never have to be a part of this again.”

More silence, but this silence was calmer. Peaceful. The only sound was the sound of their shallow breathing and Keith started counting Lance’s breaths. _One, two, three._

_Four, five, six._

_Seven, eight, nine._ Keith lost count of how many breaths Lance took after thirty-six, so he contented himself with listening and continuing to stroke Lance’s hair.

“I’ve decided,” Lance said out of the blue.

“What?” Keith asked.

“I’m going to New York with you,” Lance whispered.

Keith’s heart leapt. “Really?”

“There’s nothing left for me in Altea. I don’t want to study at the Terra Garrison anymore. I’ve had enough adventure for a lifetime. I’ll go to a normal college in New York. I’ll be a normal guy.”

“We’ll be normal,” Keith repeated. He smiled. “It sounds amazing.”  

Lance smiled too. “It is amazing.”

Keith leaned down to give him a short peck on his nose. “You’re going to love it there. I’ll rent an apartment, just for us.”

“Far away from the sea,” Lance said. “I’m sick of it.” He stretched out his legs. “I prefer these. You can do a lot more with them.”

“Like?”

Lance grinned and sat up, shifting himself to sit on Keith’s lap. “Remember that thing we were talking about last year?”

Keith groaned. “Oh, that thing.”

Lance leaned closer to press their foreheads together. “We’re totally going to try that out at some point.”

“We will,” Keith said, smirking. “What if it doesn’t turn out to be as good as you expected?”

“Everything is good when it’s with you.”

They fell into an easy kiss and all that was left in Keith’s mind was how happy he was. They were together. They were safe. And they would finally be normal.

_How wonderful._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that chapter was painful to write, but I am pretty proud of it :) The main plot is over now, and the next chapter will be an epilogue! Thanks for sticking with me through all this!


	17. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the epilogue.

 

It was a beautiful evening, the prettiest there had been in a long time. Soft clouds were scattered around the dusky sky and the sun was just setting below the horizon. The sky swirled with a thousand colors and a gentle breeze drifted around the sheltered buildings.

Lance and Keith were walking in the park, their hands clasped and their shoulders pressed together. 

“The sunset is so pretty,” Lance remarked. 

“Not as pretty as you.” 

They both laughed, the sound dissolving into the evening air. The park was alive with the sounds of children playing and young teenagers chattering, many of them on their first dates. Though this definitely wasn’t Keith and Lance’s first date, it was their first date on land. It was their first date where they were free to say what they wanted, free to kiss in front of everyone. They were finally free. Lance’s Altean markings were gone and Keith missed them, but having him here with him, on land, was so much better. 

This was officially their third evening on land. The first two days and nights, they had stayed in Keith and Shiro’s house, unwilling to get out of bed. They stayed in bed all day, letting themselves rest and enjoy the choice to relax. They could stay in that bed forever if they wanted to. 

But in the end, they decided it would be more fun to go out and live life together as a normal human couple, so they went to the park. And that’s where they were now. 

“Keith, what is that?” 

Keith looked at what Lance was pointing at. He was pointing at a young girl carrying an ice-cream cone. “That’s a girl.” 

“I mean the thing she’s holding, smartass.” 

Keith was incredulous. “You don’t know what ice-cream is?” 

Lance gave him a look. “Duh. Is it food?” Keith nodded. “Can we try it?” 

“Sure,” Keith said, leading him over to an ice-cream stand where he bought them each an ice-cream. They sat down on a bench. 

He carefully watched Lance as Lance tried ice-cream for the first time, watched the curious expression on his face morph into surprise and then pleasure as his taste buds comprehended the sweetness of the ice-cream. “This is amazing!” 

“Do you want mine?” Keith offered when Lance finished the ice-cream. 

“Are you sure?” 

Keith smiled and held it out to Lance. Lance leaned over to kiss his cheek and took the ice-cream, excitedly starting on it. “It tastes nice, huh?” 

Lance nodded enthusiastically. “It’s great!” 

“Don’t eat too much,” Keith said. “It’s unhealthy.” 

“Whatever.” Lance shrugged, giving him a winning smile. “I’m here for a good time, not a long time.” 

Keith couldn’t resist kissing the taste of the ice-cream off Lance’s lips. “You’re the cutest.” 

“No, you’re the cutest,” Lance informed him. 

“Is this going to be like that thing where couples tell each other to hang up first on the phone?” 

Lance looked at him blankly, tilting his head to the side. 

Keith sighed. “I’m guessing that’s not a thing in Altea.” 

Lance shook his head. He leaned back, stretching his arms out and yawning. “I’m so happy, Keith. You wouldn’t believe how happy I am.” 

“I am, too.” Keith smiled at him fondly. “I’m so happy you’re here.” 

Later that evening, a breeze started up and Lance insisted that they go home, saying that he had enough of coldness for a lifetime. Keith laughed and agreed, so they went home and went up to Keith’s bedroom, snuggling together under the blankets. 

“We should make a pillow fort,” Lance said, his voice muffled. He threw the blanket off their heads so they could breathe better. 

“I have a better idea,” Keith said. 

Lance looked up at him with large, innocent eyes - eye. Keith always had to correct himself. Lance always wore an eye-patch over his empty eye socket and it wasn’t exactly hard to miss so Keith had no idea how he kept making the same mistake. It was just that being around Lance made him forget everything in the past and focus on their present, focus on the feeling of Lance’s breath on his cheeks and Lance’s hand in his. 

Keith huffed. “You choose this moment to start acting innocent?” 

Lance looked surprised, and his expression smoothly changed into a smirk. “Oh, Keith. I had no idea it was  _that_ kind of idea.” 

“What other idea would it be?” Keith said. “We’re together, we’re in bed, and you’re so, so beautiful-” 

Lance kissed him before Keith could continue speaking and ruin the moment. He shifted his weight over to straddle Keith, resting his arms on either side of his chest so he could deepen the kiss. Keith threw his leg over Lance’s hip and in a single swift movement, flipped them so he was now straddling Lance. 

He leaned down and, in Lance’s ear, whispered, “You thought you could take control that easily?” 

Lance grinned and kissed him again. However, just as the familiar haziness entered Keith’s mind, Keith was suddenly on his back, his arms pinned over his head, and Lance was on top of him. “And you thought I would give in that easily?” 

Keith shivered, pleasure pooling in him at the words and the sensual tone of Lance’s voice. That low, husky voice of Lance’s he always spoke in whenever he was trying to rouse Keith – it was alluring, almost hypnotic. 

“Show me how you lead, then,” Keith whispered. 

“I will,” Lance said. He brushed Keith’s hair off his forehead and left his hand on the side of his cheek, letting it trail down to his collarbone. He lowered his head to let his lips brush against the collarbone, sending a jolt of pleasure through Keith. “Seeing you like this, beneath me…” he didn’t finish the sentence, instead kissing just under Keith’s jaw, running his tongue across the sensitive skin. His hands weren’t pinning Keith’s arms to the bed anymore so Keith was free to skim Lance’s skin under his t-shirt before hooking his fingers on the hem of the t-shirt and pulling it off. “Needy, huh?” 

“Very,” Keith breathed. 

“I’d better return the favor.” Lance grinned and slowly unbuttoned the buttons on Keith’s shirt, letting the sides of the shirt fall to the side to reveal his chest. It was littered with scars. 

Uncomfortably, Keith tried to pull him into a kiss, trying to hide the scars, but Lance pulled back, taking in the side of Keith’s bare skin. 

“Don’t be embarrassed,” he murmured. 

“I hate them.” 

“I was there when you got them. You saved me.” 

“You would have saved yourself.”

“No.” Lance looked down at him, his eyes glittering in the darkness. “You know I don’t care about them.”  

So Keith relaxed and allowed Lance to take off his shirt completely so the full extent of his scars were revealed. They were everywhere, some overlapping each other, some crossed over each other, and not all of them were clean lines. The healing pod did what it could but it wasn’t enough, and Keith thought he looked like Frankenstein’s monster. But Lance clearly didn’t think so. Lance ran his hands over his chest, feeling the slight indent of a certain scar that was deeper than the others. 

“I’m sorry you went through that,” Lance said quietly. 

“Are you joking?” Keith raised his hand to gently tap Lance’s eye patch and then the deep, angry scar on his chest where Lotor had… he didn’t want to think about it. 

“I’m sorry we went through that,” Lance corrected himself. “But it doesn’t matter now.” 

Keith would have been content to stay like this, just kissing and feeling the feeling of their bodies against one another forever, but it had provoked a – reaction – in him. Lance must have felt it because he grinned down at Keith. 

“Don’t you dare say it,” Keith said, his tone threatening. 

“I wasn’t going to say anything,” Lance said innocently, but there was a mischievous glint in his eyes. 

Struck by a sudden burst of confidence, Keith replied, “If you’re not going to say anything, maybe you should do something about it.” 

Lance’s eyes darkened in lust. He moved off Keith to undo the button and zipper on Keith’s jeans, struggling as he tried to take them off. Keith let out a small snicker and helped him push them off. It was much easier to remove Lance’s jeans, which weren’t as tight as his.

Lance huffed. “Did you have to wear those jeans today?” 

“I know you like how I look in them,” Keith said. He had noticed Lance looking him over appreciatively earlier that day. 

“That is true,” Lance agreed, leaning down to slate his mouth over Keith’s. Lance’s body was warm against his and he decided this was definitely much better when they both had legs and were on land. He could feel Lance’s weight on top of him, pressing him into the bed as he kissed him with a mixture of innocent affection and mature passion.

Soon it shifted more to the passionate side, Lance’s mouth hot and wet as he broke the kiss to place a trail of smaller kisses down his chest to where Keith was still wearing his underwear, placing his mouth on him. The fabric was stained wet there and the warmth of his mouth was almost too much to handle. Keith arched his back, trying to hold himself back as Lance breathed on the cloth before taking it off as well. He was completely bare now and he was suddenly self-conscious about the scars again. However, he pushed the thought out of his head. Lance didn’t care about the scars. 

Lance glanced at Keith. “I’ve never… I’m not sure if I’ll do it right.” 

“I’ll be fine as long as you don’t bite,” Keith said. 

Reassured, Lance took him into his mouth and Keith bit back a moan. As he used his tongue, Keith couldn’t help but put his hands in his hair, pulling it hard. Quickly, he let go, worried that he was hurting Lance. “I’m so sorry, I-”

Lance looked up at him, grinning. “No, I like it. Do that again.” 

So, Keith put his hands in his hair again and pulled it experimentally. Lance made an encouraging noise so he continued. And as Lance went as deep down as he had so far, he reflexively thrust my hips upwards. “Lance, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to-”

Lance pulled off him, moving upwards again to kiss him, hard. Keith could taste his bitterness in Lance’s mouth.

“Keith, stop worrying.” Lance smiled as if he found something funny. “I’m tougher than that. I’ve fought off Galra, I think I can handle a blowjob.”

Keith blushed. “Sorry. I’m just nervous. This is… this is my first time. Doing anything at all.” 

“Anything?” Lance asked, not understanding what he meant.

“You’re the first person I’ve ever been with,” Keith said. “Not- not just sexually. I’ve never even been in a relationship before.  

Lance looked surprised. “You haven’t?” 

“No,” Keith admitted. “You’re my first everything.” 

If Lance was surprised, the surprise was soon replaced with happiness. They would do everything together for the first time. They were on an equal playing field here. “And I’d better be your last everything.” 

“You will be,” Keith said. 

“So, wait, you’ve never actually-”

“Can we talk about this later?” Keith interrupted pointedly, glancing downwards. Lance seemed to realize what he meant and he laughed. 

“So impatient,” he said. “Do you want to, or shall I?” 

“Want to what?” Keith asked. Lance raised an eyebrow. “I don’t get it.”  

“You know,” Lance said, motioning with his hands. 

“I still don’t get it.”  

Lance sighed. It was fonder than exasperated. He whispered something in Keith’s ear. 

“Oh,” Keith realized. His cheeks were red. “You can.”

Lance nodded and hesitated. “Maybe… maybe you should do it. I don’t know how.” 

“Neither do I.” 

“You probably know more than I do,” Lance said, his face flaming.

“I don’t. But if you want me to do it I can.” Lance nodded and moved off Keith to lie on the bed as Keith moved on top of him and pulled off Lance’s underwear. If it was a good feeling, feeling Lance on top of him, it was even better feeling Lance under him, completely trusting him to take control. 

“Wait,” Keith said quickly. “We need… uh, the thing.” 

“What thing?” Lance asked

“The thing. Wait here.” Keith got off the bed as Lance stared at him quizzically and went into his bathroom, searching for the bottle he knew he had somewhere around here. He finally found the bottle hidden behind his shampoo and now he had to look for the other ‘thing’. When he found the small box, he took it with the bottle back to the bed. 

“What’s that?” Lance asked. 

Keith gave Lance the box, embarrassed to say it. Matt would probably call him prudish for that. 

“Condoms,” Lance read aloud. “I have no idea what this is.” 

“You have to put it over your…” Keith gestured with his hands. “You know.” 

Lance still looked adorably confused. “Why?” 

“It protects you from pregnancy,” Keith said. “And diseases. It’s basically a sheath. But we don’t have any diseases so this just makes things neater.” 

“Okay,” Lance said. “Humans are weird. What’s the bottle for?” 

“You’ll see,” Keith tore open a condom packet and looked at it doubtfully. “Uh… I’ve never actually used one of these before… I think I-”

“Do we really need it?” Lance asked. “Neither of us have any diseases. Besides…” he looked up at Keith through his lashes, his pupils dark and wide-blown. “I want to feel you inside me. Just you.” 

That was probably the hottest thing Keith had ever heard and he felt a surge of pleasure over his body, centered between his legs. He felt like he was going to explode if he didn’t do something soon so he reached out for the bottle of lube, fumbling with the slippery liquid before applying it to himself, accidentally spilling some on the bed. 

“Will it hurt?” 

Keith looked up. “What?” 

Lance looked nervous now. “Will it hurt?”

“It shouldn’t.” Keith frowned, now worried that he was going to hurt Lance. Maybe he needed more lube. “Normally it doesn’t. I think. Tell me if it does, okay?” 

“Sure,” Lance said as Keith put some lube on his fingers, feeling along the underside of his thighs under he reached his opening. Carefully, he pushed the tip of his finger in. Lance clenched around him, his body tensing. Keith knew it was more from nervousness than actual pain. 

“Relax,” Keith murmured, leaning down to press his lips against Lance’s. Both their eyes were open and he gazed at Lance in awe. Lance was so beautiful like this, his hair messy, his lips swollen and pink from so many kisses, as if he was wearing lipstick. He wondered what Lance would look like wearing actual lipstick. They would have to try that some time. Lance’s muscles relaxed as he was distracted by the kiss, and Keith pushed his finger in fully. He wasn’t as tight now and he gently pushed another finger in. Lance arched his back, letting out a low moan. By the time Keith put in a third finger, Lance was begging for Keith to enter him, begging for more. 

“Keith,” Lance gasped. “You- oh, fuck, fuck-” He cut himself off as Keith’s finger brushed against his prostate, moaning, dragging the sound out as Keith gently scraped his nail against it. “Fuck, Keith, that’s-” He was unable to form full sentences anymore, dissolving into a torrent of swear words and gasps. When Keith removed his fingers, he protested, not liking the sudden emptiness. 

“This is the hard part,” Keith said. 

Lance snorted. “That’s what she said.” 

“If you say that again I’ll get up and leave.” 

“No!” Lance pulled Keith down onto him as if he was worried Keith was actually going to leave him. 

They were in the right position now and Keith said, “Take a deep breath,” before pushing into Lance with a single roll of his hips. He probably should have done it slower because they were both stunned, breathless for a moment from the overstimulation. 

Lance gasped, instantly clenching around Keith again. “Maybe—” another pained gasp— “Maybe we should have prepared more.” 

“Does it hurt?” Keith asked anxiously. “Should we stop?” 

“No,” Lance said, taking a deep breath. “I just need a moment.” After a few seconds, the pain faded into pleasure and he said, “Okay. I’m good.” 

“Are you sure?” 

“Move, Kogane.” Lance was impatient now but he had an amused smirk on his face so he couldn’t have been angry with Keith. As Keith started moving inside him, the pleasure hit him like an explosion of fireworks and he couldn’t keep himself quiet, though he knew Shiro was probably downstairs. Lance’s moans only turned Keith on even more and it was almost impossible for him to keep himself from finishing right then. He held himself off, not allowing himself to climax, as the pleasure built up. The friction was incredible and his nerves were on fire, the feeling spreading over his whole body. The feeling of Lance around him, the smell surrounding them – he definitely wasn’t going to be able to hold himself off for much longer. 

With another moan, Lance hooked his legs around his hips to push Keith even deeper inside him, pulling Keith into a desperate kiss, sucking on his bottom lip. Keith broke the kiss to press his lips against Lance’s neck, steadying himself as he tried to reposition himself into a better angle. Like this, Keith was hitting his prostate with each thrust and Lance was making small desperate sounds, begging for him to move faster, harder. 

“I’m going to-” Keith tried to say and Lance nodded, whispering, “Me too.” 

And Keith finally let go, allowing himself to fall over the edge. A shudder passed over his whole body and his eyes rolled back in his head as the waves of pleasure hit him repeatedly. He collapsed beside Lance and they both winced at the emptiness but after a few seconds it passed and all that remained was the remnants of that indescribable, soaring feeling. 

Eventually, Lance said, “I think I need a shower.” 

-

When they were both clean, they walked downstairs to see what was for dinner, both starving. To Keith’s intense embarrassment, Shiro was sitting on the sofa. He was pretending to read a magazine, acting nonchalant, but his crimson face gave him away. Lance and Keith shot equally embarrassed glances at each other. 

Eventually, Shiro cleared his throat and said, “I hope you used protection.” 

Keith cringed. He would have preferred it if Shiro kept pretending he didn’t hear anything. So, he didn’t reply, instead asking, “What’s for dinner?” 

“I didn’t make dinner,” Shiro said, relieved at the subject change. “Should I order Chinese?” 

“Sure,” Keith said, so Shiro stood up and dropped the magazine on the table, walking into the kitchen to find the brochure that had the Chinese place down the road’s number. Keith and Lance sat on the sofa, looking at each other without saying anything. Keith leaned forward to smooth down Lance’s hair, which looked like he had just fought off a bear, before smoothing down his own hair. 

“So,” Lance said, smirking. “Are we going to dance around the subject or actually talk about it?” 

“Dance around it, probably,” Keith replied. “Though I am wondering how you know what a blowjob is but you don’t know what lube is.” 

Lance shrugged. “Suck my dick is an expression in Altea as well. I figured it was an actual thing because you were looking at me like you expected me to.” 

Keith was horrified. “Did I force you to do it?” 

“No,” Lance said hastily, waving his hands in denial, “that was my choice. Trust me…” he paused. “I wanted to.” 

“If you keep talking like that, I’m not going to be able to control myself,” Keith said, giving Lance a seductive look.

“Oh?” Lance leaned closer, a familiar glint in his eye. “Right here?” 

“Right here.” 

Shiro’s voice came from the kitchen, loud and annoyed. “Not on the sofa!” 

Keith was mortified but Lance dissolved into giggles. “It’s not funny.” 

“I think it is,” Lance said once he had stopped laughing. 

“That’s because he’s not your big brother,” Keith complained. “It’s really embarrassing.” 

Lance smiled at him playfully. “Oh, come on. Don’t take everything so seriously.” 

“Alright,” Keith said, easily giving in, not having the energy to continue arguing. He was too sleepy. However, he was hungry enough to make himself stay awake so he could eat his dinner. Shiro re-entered the living room a few minutes later and the food arrived half an hour after that. They wolfed down their dinner and went upstairs almost immediately afterwards. 

“We really need our own apartment,” Lance said when they were both in bed and the lights were off. He was on his side, propping himself up with his arm to gaze at Keith. 

“I’ll check the listings tomorrow.” 

“Good.” Lance lay down again, letting out a yawn. His head was resting on Keith’s chest and he threw his leg over Keith’s legs. “I love you.” 

“I love you, too.” 

As soon as the words left his mouth, Keith was asleep. 

-

**Three months later**

**-**

Keith was finally going to do it. 

His and Lance’s one year anniversary had already passed months ago and he hadn’t had the courage to ask him yet, telling himself he would ask later. But he still hadn’t asked him and he didn’t want to let more time slip through his fingers. 

So, he asked Lance out for dinner that night. They had moved to a new apartment last month, one in the center of the city with a beautiful view, and a new pier had been built on the beach where Keith used to live. The pier was built after the reports of drownings had suddenly stopped and Keith had chosen the restaurant that was closest to the part of the beach where he had met up with Lance so many times. 

He was finally going to ask him. 

He planned everything. They would have dinner, the table covered in roses, and afterwards they would go for a walk along the beach, where Keith would drop down on one knee and ask the love of his life to be the love of his life for the rest of their days. He had agonized over the ring for days, searching all the stores in New York for something perfect. But nothing was even half as beautiful as Lance. However, it was too late now; the night was here and he still didn’t have a ring. Oh, well. He would cross that bridge when he got to it. 

Keith changed faster than Lance did and he waited outside their bedroom door, waiting for Lance to come out. He quickly grew impatient of waiting, feeling like he was going to throw up from the nerves, and pushed the door open, barging in and preparing to tell Lance to hurry up. 

Lance looked at him, blinking innocently, as Keith’s breath was taken away. Even though he didn’t put on a shirt yet and was only wearing Keith’s old faded blue jeans, the sight of him in Keith’s clothes without his hair combed, completely natural and comfortable, was the most beautiful Keith had ever seen him. 

Keith couldn’t stop himself from blurting, “Marry me.” 

The look on Lance’s face was shocked, clearly not expecting that. 

Quickly, Keith said, “No! I take it back! Not exactly, just- just wait for later!” He waved his hands around, trying to convey what he meant, and Lance’s expression soon melted into amusement. 

“I’ll wait,” Lance said. 

Later, they were sitting at the restaurant and it was tense, both of them aware about what was going to come next. Lance was wearing a loose white shirt and the sight of him like this was distracting Keith – he was so busy staring at Lance he wasn’t eating his food. 

Lance jerked his fork towards Keith’s plate. “Are you going to eat that?” 

Keith shook his head and pushed the plate towards Lance, who smiled appreciatively and started on the food, which was his third plate. Keith had no idea how Lance managed to stay so skinny when he ate so much. They didn’t speak throughout the dinner, only speaking to comment on the nice weather that evening and smile at each other like they were sharing an inside joke. Keith glanced at the ring on his own finger, the one Lance had given him, wishing he could have found something as equally pretty to give Lance. 

Finally, dinner was over and Keith asked Lance to walk with him on the pier. There was a fairground behind them, only there for the weekend and the smell of the cotton candy drifted over to them. Keith hated the sickly sweet smell of the candy and refused to let it anywhere near his lips, but Lance seemed to like the smell and Keith thought he might like it better if he could taste it in Lance’s mouth. 

“We should go there one day,” Lance suggested. “What’s the smell?” 

“Cotton candy,” Keith said.  

The wind was starting up now and Lance put his arm around his waist, drawing Keith in to his side and letting Keith rest his head on his shoulder. 

“Are you going to ask me yet?” Lance asked abruptly. 

Keith sighed and pulled him to a slightly damp bench to sit with him. He put his arms around Lance and Lance pushed his face into Keith’s chest like he always did. 

“Are you cold?” Keith asked. 

“Keith.” 

“It’s getting colder,” Keith said. 

“If you won’t, I’ll do it myself.” Lance moved to get off the bench but Keith pushed him down, getting up himself. “No, I want to do it now!” 

“Well, I’m doing it.” 

“Sit down, I’m going to say it first,” Lance said. 

“No, I will,” Keith insisted. “I was the one who arranged this whole thing.” 

“But you still haven’t asked me!” 

“Fine!” Keith yelled, suddenly angry. “Marry me, you absolute fucking asshole!” 

Silence. 

Even the birds stopped their chirping and it seemed as if even the waves had stopped rolling onto the shore. The air itself was still and loaded. 

He had attracted a few judgmental stares from the passersby, many of which stopped to stare at them with interest.

Well. That definitely wasn’t the romantic proposal Keith had planned. 

Lance crossed his arms. “I don’t know if I want to, after you called me an asshole.” 

The floor beneath them was sandy and wet, and it stuck to Keith’s knee as he dropped down on it. He needed to fix this, quickly. “Lance. Baby. Love of my life.” 

“Yes,” Lance interrupted. 

Keith frowned. “Are you joking? I had an entire speech planned.” 

“I don’t care about the speech. It’s a yes,” Lance said, standing up. However, Keith pushed him down on the seat again. 

“Sit your ass down and let me finish this speech,” Keith said, making Lance shut up. “Lance. You-”

Without letting him finish, Lance got off the bench and dropped to his own knees, throwing his arms around Keith to capture his lips in a kiss. He could feel Lance’s tears against his cheeks. He hadn’t realized Lance was crying. “Yes.” 

Keith decided he didn’t care about the speech after all. His heart was swelling with happiness. He had done it. He asked Lance to marry him, and though it wasn’t the most perfect proposal it was perfect for them and he didn’t care what other people would think about Keith screaming at Lance that he was an asshole when his arms were full of Lance and they were together, both on the ground next to a narrow bench close to where they always met. 

Then, Lance broke the kiss and said, “Stand up. It’s my turn.” 

“But I already asked you,” Keith pointed out.

“Still. Stand up.” 

Keith was curious as to what Lance was going to say so he stood up. 

“Can I borrow your ring?” Lance asked. Obediently, Keith pulled off the ring and handed it to Lance, who grinned playfully and held the ring up to him. “You’re an asshole, but I still love you more than anything and I can’t survive another second without making you my husband, so will you-”

Keith now understood how Lance felt because he couldn’t stop himself from kissing Lance, not breaking the kiss as Lance slipped the ring back onto his finger. The ring was on his index finger before but now it was on his ring finger, still fitting perfectly. 

“I love you so much,” Lance said, fresh tears falling down his cheek from his remaining eye. He gave a watery laugh. “Fuck, I don’t know why I’m crying.” 

Keith shook his head wordlessly; his head dizzy and his heart almost about to explode. This was happening. He was going to marry Lance. Lance would be his husband. His  _husband._ Keith took a deep breath before he started panicking, and he didn’t pull away until Lance pulled him to his feet and they took a taxi back home, too eager to walk back.

As soon as they fell through the door Keith pushed Lance against the first surface he could find, which happened to be the wall. 

“Wait,” Lance gasped. “I want water.” Keith followed him to the kitchen and waited as Lance filled a glass of water. He drank it slowly, as if intentionally torturing Keith. He wiped his mouth and turned back to Keith with a tantalizing smirk. “Well?” 

Not caring if he knocked the glass over, Keith picked Lance up and dropped him on the kitchen table in one swift movement, keeping his hands on his hips, digging into his skin where there were sure to be red hand marks the next day. Lance looped his arms around Keith’s neck, wrapping his legs around Keith’s hips and sweeping his tongue around his mouth, tasting the passionfruit margarita he had drunken during dinner. They got rid of their clothes quickly, kicking their jeans across the kitchen and leaving their underwear beside the chairs where it fell. 

Keith was too aroused now to bother taking off his shirt or to take them upstairs to the bedroom like he had originally planned. Lance was equally desperate, tugging Keith closer to him and blowing their hair out of the way as it fell in their eyes, sticking to their foreheads with sweat. 

“There’s no lube,” Keith said, the realization hitting him like a train wreck. He really didn’t want to have to leave Lance to go get it. 

“It won’t hurt that much without it.” Lance glanced down as if sizing him up, looking doubtful. 

“This won’t work.” 

“I have an idea,” Lance said, his lips curving into a knowing smile. Before Keith could ask him what he was doing he spit in his hand and reached for him.  

This was too much to bear. “Fuck, Lance.” 

Lance was still smirking. “Are you going to fuck me or not?” 

For all the witty remarks Lance made during foreplay, whenever Keith moved inside him his comments always dissolved into moans and a word that was vaguely in the shape of Keith’s name. The spit didn’t work as well as the lube but it was enough, mixed with his own fluids. They moved together, at first gentle and then harder until the edge of the table must have been bruising Lance’s thighs with each thrust, but if it hurt he didn’t say anything. He was moaning loudly, clinging onto Keith to prevent himself from falling off the table, slipping his hands under Keith’s shirt and dragging his nails along his back to leave angry scarlet trails. 

The stinging Lance’s nails had provoked only served to turn him on further and he was beginning to question his own sexual tastes until Lance whispered that wanted it even harder, until he could feel the burning friction inside him, until he was would be too sore to walk for a week. And Keith complied, his hands still on Lance’s hips as he fucked him harder, relishing the sounds of his ecstatic moans. 

Lance yelled out Keith’s name as he came, the orgasm blinding and turning his vision black for several seconds, and let Keith lift him down to the ground, both of them too exhausted to walk to their bedroom. 

“Get up,” Keith whispered. “I need to clean the floor.” 

“No,” Lance mumbled. “I’m absolutely fucked.” 

“I don’t think that’s how you say it.” 

“Whatever. I’m too fucked to walk. You carry me.” 

Sighing, Keith dragged himself to his feet, bending down to take Lance into his arms. His legs wobbled the whole way to the bathroom and it was all he could do to drop Lance into the tub before collapsing to the ground, his muscles entirely spent. 

“This isn’t the bed.” 

“You need to take a shower,” Keith said. 

“Join me, then.” 

Keith groaned. “Fuck, Lance. Already?” 

“I meant for a normal shower, pervert.” 

Keith rolled his eyes but he joined Lance in the shower, closing his eyes as the water loosened up his tensing muscles and washed all the sticky fluids off him. He reached over to pick up the shower gel and squeezed it onto his hand. He slowly spread it over Lance’s shoulders, rubbing it over his skin and sliding his hands down to Lance’s waist. Lance’s eyes rolled back in his head at the light touch, feeling Keith’s hands skimming his body down to the small of his back. The soapy layer smelt like strawberries and though it smelt great now Keith knew the smell would fade ten minutes after Lance left the shower, leaving only the smell of himself in its stead. 

They were facing each other now. Lance was still wearing his eye patch and it was still stuck to his eye without sliding off. 

Slowly, Keith raised his hand to touch it. Lance stiffened. “You should take this off.” 

“No.” Lance’s voice was quiet. 

“You need to wash it.” 

“I’ll wash it when you’re gone.”

Though Keith knew Lance’s reluctancy was because he was self-conscious and not because he distrusted Keith, but the words hurt anyway. He didn’t say anything, waiting for Lance to explain himself, as he knew he would. 

A few seconds later, Lance said, “I’m sorry.” 

“I know.” 

“It’s not you.” 

“I know.” 

Lance sighed. “It’s so ugly. I don’t know how you can stand to look at me.” 

“I love you,” Keith said, “I don’t care what you look like.” 

“I know. But please. Don’t make me take the patch off.” 

Rather than reply, Keith squeezed more shower gel into his hand to rub it over himself efficiently, without dawdling on any particular area. The water washed it away quickly and he picked up the shampoo, squeezing the almost empty bottle directly onto his own head to scrub his hair unceremoniously, his nails scraping against his scalp. Lance reached behind him to take the shampoo and put it into his own hair, and Keith wondered how Lance’s hair always looked so much better than his if they both used the same shampoo. 

When the shampoo was out of their hair and their bodies were free of soap, they stepped out of the shower and dried themselves. Lance lay on the bed, turning on his stomach and stretching his arms out under his pillow, and Keith sat cross-legged next to him. 

The space between them was a stretched elastic band. Ready to snap at any moment. 

“I’m sorry,” Lance said again, not looking at Keith. “It’s not you.” The eyepatch was wet, the water dripping onto his pillow, but he didn’t seem to care. 

Finally, Keith said, “We’re engaged now. And I’ve already seen it, when it was at its worst. You still don’t trust me enough to show me?” 

“It’s not trust. I don’t want to lose you. I know you’ll hate me if you see how horrible it still looks.” 

“You don’t know anything.” 

Though normally the words would have riled Lance into a furious argument, today he just remained quiet, not defending himself. 

After a minute of the painful silence, Keith said evenly, “I think I’ll sleep on the couch tonight.” 

And he walked out of the room to settle on the couch, drawing the cover around him and closing his eyes. 

He didn’t fall asleep for hours. 

-

The next morning, Keith woke earlier than Lance, as usual. At least, he thought so, but when he walked into their bedroom to see if Lance was still there and didn’t storm out of the apartment, Lance was already awake, sitting up in bed, his head leaned against the headboard, with a blank expression on his face. 

“Keith,” he whispered. “I’m so sorry.” 

Without saying anything, Keith crawled onto the bed to sit next to Lance, drawing Lance’s arms around him. He didn’t need to tell Lance that he forgave him; Lance already knew. They sat in silence, watching as the morning sun’s rays left white patterns on the bed, shining through the thin curtains. 

He didn’t know how much time had passed but after a while, Lance raised his hand to undo his patch and pull it off. He closed his single eye and turned his face towards Keith. 

There was a clean wound where his left eye had been cut out completely. There was no blood left and it looked as if Lance had never had an eye at all. Though it was painful to look at, knowing it was his fault this happened to Lance, it was nowhere near as grotesque as Lance said it was. 

“It’s not ugly,” Keith said as Lance turned his face away. “Nothing about you is ugly.” 

“This is,” Lance said bitterly. 

“No. Just trust me. Sweetheart, look at me. Nothing about you is ugly.” 

Though Lance still thought it was horrible and ugly, Keith didn’t think so and that was enough for him. 

-

**One month later**

**-**

Keith didn’t know what possessed him to want to come back to this cave, but earlier that day he was struck with a sudden urge to go see it and he had dragged Lance along with him. And they were there now, Keith staring at the familiar drawings on the wall. The siren, reaching out for the man. The siren, dead on the ground. The man, running away. The man dragged into the depths. For the first time, Keith noticed that the siren looked like him. 

Lance shuddered but didn’t say anything, knowing that this moment was for Keith and Keith alone. 

Keith turned to look at Lance. “What do these carvings mean?” 

“They tell a story,” he said. 

“But what is the story?” 

Lance shrugged.

Slowly, Keith reached up to touch the drawings, and they started glowing. But this time, they glowed purple and a scene appeared in Keith’s mind. 

~

_The siren was being dragged away. Desperately, she yelled, “Go! Take Keith!”_

_“No,” the man said. Begged. “_ _Krolia_ _, please.”_

_“Go!” she shouted, her voice not human. “Or they’ll take both of us!”_

_The man had to watch as she was taken away_ _, as they pushed her head down on a block_ _and she kept her eyes open, staring at them_ _relentlessly_ _in her last act of bravery_ _. He wanted to save her more than anything but he couldn’t. All he could do was save Keith._

_He rushed to her home and into the bedroom_ _, staying concentrated though his heart was shattered and the glass remnants were stabbing into his skin_ _._ _She couldn’t be gone._ _They couldn’t have done that to her._ _Her beautiful smile, her sweet laugh, her sarcastic teasing – it was all gone now, and he knew he couldn’t live without her._ _He didn’t want to._

_Quickly, he grabbed his diary and scribbled down a few sentences_ _, and kept it in his hand as he went to the cot_ _._ _The baby was still in the cot, gurgling and reaching up towards his father. He was an exact copy of his mother. Not bothering to be gentle, the man scooped the baby up into his arms. He had never_ _swum_ _so fast, swimming to the coast so he could save their baby, even if he couldn’t save her._

_But just as he touched the sand and his tail turned into legs, he heard wicked laughter behind him._

_“Come to us,” the voice whispered._

_He refused, but he felt a_ _hand curl_ _around his ankle, pulling him back into the water. But this time his legs stayed legs and water slipped into his mouth as he choked for air. It was all he could do to_ _drop his diary and_ _leave the baby on the shore as he was dragged into the depths._ _His last thought was of his son_ _, a copy of_ _his mother, growing up alone in a strange world. He_ _hoped he would always be safe and happy._

_~_

When the scene ended, Keith’s face was wet with tears. That baby was doubtlessly him, and the siren was doubtlessly his mother. She looked exactly like him, a female version of him. She had the same angular face and the same eyes, except her eyes were yellow. He had never known this was what happened to his parents. 

He felt Lance’s hand on his shoulder. 

“We were told their story in school,” Lance said quietly. “They were an example of what not to do. But I never knew they were real.” 

Keith wiped his eyes and looked back at the drawings. His whole life he had been clinging to the hope that his parents were still out there somewhere, but now that hope was shattered. His parents were dead. His mother executed. His father drowned or killed by the Galra; he didn’t know which was worse. He imagined his parents while they were still alive, how much they must have loved each other to be willing to risk everything to be with each other. How they loved each other so much they wanted a child, though the child would grow up a hybrid, not belonging to either place. 

He had always thought his mother abandoned him but now he knew the truth. She didn’t want to leave him. Neither of them did. And he would never get to know them. 

It was like losing his parents all over again. 

“I’m sorry,” Lance said. 

“It’s not your fault.” 

“I didn’t mean it that way. But Keith, just know that how you’re living right now, it’s what they would have wanted. They would have wanted their only son to be free to love who he wants to. They wanted you to live and be safe.” 

“Thank you, Lance.” Keith reached out to take Lance’s hand and together, they walked out of the cave. 

Lance was right. His parents died but their last wish was for their son to be safe and happy. 

Maybe his parents’ story didn’t have a happy ending, but Keith’s definitely did. 

-

**Two months later**

-

Before Voltron, Keith had dinner at Allura’s house almost every weekend. 

But it had never been this awkward. This was the first time they were all gathered in one area since the fight at Lotor’s base, all the former paladins of Voltron, as well as Allura and Coran. The former paladins sat around the dining table and Keith’s mind flashed back to the dining room in the Castle of Lions. He put a hand up to his head to stop it. 

“So,” Allura said. “I hear you two are getting married.” 

“We are,” Keith said. He hadn’t spoken to Allura since their fight at the Castle of Lions. Their one-sided fight, more accurately. Somedays he felt ready to forgive her, but then he saw Lance enter with his eyepatch and he felt the familiar anger towards Allura again. And Lotor. Looking at Allura always reminded him of Lotor now. Just the other day he had a horrible nightmare where he was talking with Allura, and she suddenly morphed into Lotor and tried to kill him. 

“I’d better be invited to the wedding,” Pidge said, trying to lighten the mood. 

“You’re all invited,” Lance put in before Keith could say it. 

“When will the wedding be?” Hunk asked through a mouthful of food. He was the only one who was eating. 

Keith shrugged. “We’re not sure. Maybe next year.” 

Allura glanced at Shiro, then back at Keith. Keith wondered if she and Shiro had made up yet. He hadn’t found an opportunity to ask Shiro yet, especially since they were now living in separate houses in different areas of the city, but eventually he would. And eventually he would forgive Allura. 

“Keith, can I talk to you in private?” Allura asked, as if she read Keith’s mind. 

Keith pushed back his chair and stood up, following Allura into her bedroom. Her bedroom was a rounded shape with a four-poster bed in the center of it and a vanity dressing table in the corner, a big pink armchair in the other corner. As he walked into the bedroom he felt her fluffy carpet beneath his feet. 

She sat on the edge of her bed and motioned for him to sit beside her, so he did. 

“I want to say I am truly sorry,” she said. “Not a day passes where I don’t regret what I did.” 

“I know.” 

“Will you ever forgive me?” she asked. 

“Has Shiro forgiven you?” Keith asked, instead of answering her question. 

She looked surprised at the question. “Oh. Well… he did forgive me. We decided to start again from the beginning, like we just met. It is like I’m meeting him for the first time.” 

“That’s interesting,” Keith said, though he knew he would never agree to do something like that with Lance. Agreeing to let go of all their memories, act like strangers… he would never be able to do it. 

“I think he will ask me out soon,” she confided, and for a moment it was like they were back to how they were before, when he trusted her like his own soul and she trusted him. But then she tossed back her silver hair, which had fallen over her forehead, and Keith was reminded of Lotor all over again. 

Keith stood up. “Can I go?” 

“Go ahead,” Allura said, bowing her head.  

Keith walked back to the dining room and told the others Allura would be there soon. She re-appeared a minute later, sitting down at the table with red, puffy eyes. Keith felt a twinge of sympathy. 

“We have something we need to talk about,” Shiro said in the tone of voice Keith knew so well; the tone of voice he always had when he had bad news. Keith glanced at Lance to see if he knew anything about it but Lance shook his head. He waited for Shiro to continue. 

Shiro took a deep breath and said, “We decided to continue Voltron.” 

Keith nearly had a heart attack. Shiro hastily added, “Without you! You don’t have to join if you don’t want to. The problem now is that though we brought down the Galra empire, the Altean empire is still active and enslaving people. We need to stop them, but we can’t force you to join us.” 

Lance put a careful hand on Keith’s shoulder, reminding him to stay calm and not blow up at all of them. So, Keith said calmly, “We’re not joining.” 

“That’s what we thought,” Hunk said before Shiro could continue, “but we were really hoping you could reconsider and-”

“No,” Shiro interrupted sternly. “We will respect their decision.” 

“But how will we find two other pilots?” Hunk asked despairingly. Keith wouldn’t have expected Hunk to be the person to want to continue being a part of Voltron; when they were training and fighting, Hunk was always the first to tire, the first to say he wanted to quit. He guessed Hunk was willing to put his own feelings aside for the greater good, and he respected him for that. 

Confidently, Allura raised her hand. Her eyes weren’t red anymore. “I will join. My father built the lions. At least one of them must accept me.” 

“We still need one more pilot,” Shiro said. 

Slowly, everyone’s gaze turned to Coran, who blinked in surprise. 

“Me? Why, I would be thrilled to!” 

“Really?” Allura asked, puzzled. 

“Yes!” Coran exclaimed, clearly overjoyed. “I’ve always wanted to pilot one of those lions but I didn’t want to intrude.” 

“It’s settled, then,” Shiro said. “We have our five pilots. We were able to defeat the Galran empire without forming Voltron, but that will not work for the Altean empire. We will need to train a lot-”

Keith saw that Lance was shaking now, rocking himself back and forth in the chair, and he quickly said, “Can we stop talking about this?” He put his hand over Lance’s and murmured, “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just a little… I don’t like talking about it,” Lance choked out, trying to control his uneven breathing. “It’s…” 

“You don’t need to explain yourself.” Keith looked at Allura. “Is it alright if we go out to the balcony?” 

“Sure,” Allura said, pointing at the glass door that opened up to the balcony. 

They went outside and Lance walked right up to the low wall preventing them from falling off the balcony, putting his elbows on it and resting his chin in his palms. Keith stood beside him, curling his arm around his waist. They didn’t face each other, content to gaze at the tranquil view ahead of them. The lights in the city twinkled quietly like phosphenes, muted and blurry. A breeze breathed around them, alive, making the sleeping flowers in the clay pots reach up with their leaves, as if trying to touch it. 

Lance inhaled deeply and released the breath, letting it fade away into the evening air. “I’m sorry about that. I… I don’t l-”

“You don’t need to explain yourself,” Keith said gently. “I understand.” 

The evening air was warm and heavy, settling around them like a comfort blanket. Lance’s hair was pure golden as he was bathed in the hues of the sunset, and as Keith watched him he noticed that there were gold flecks in his blue eye, like gold buried in a riverbed. From this angle his eye was the color of rose wine, framed by long golden lashes. He was ethereal, angelic. In the hues of the sunset he was an angel. He was impossibly beautiful as he watched the view in front of them, the stressed lines in his face fading, his expression serene at the sight of the clean, sturdy buildings and the sun reflecting off the glimmering, champagne sea. Keith was so in love with him. 

A minute later, Lance said, “Will I ever stop feeling like this?” 

Keith stayed quiet for a moment. 

Then, he spoke. “I don’t know. But I’m always here for you.” 

Lance took his hand, squeezing it. He didn’t need to say anything else. They understood each other perfectly.  

Together, they watched the sun until it set below the horizon. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this is the end! This was a wild ride, and I hope you all enjoyed it! 
> 
> Also,,, season 8... no comment on that.


End file.
